Soma Banerjee
GM - Placement Coordinator, EIILM - Kolkata
Email: soma.banerjee.eiilm@gmail.com
Surajit Chatterjee
Dean, Corporate Relations and Placement.
EIILM – Kolkata
Email: surajit.chatterjee@eiilm.co.in
Prem Raj Kharbanda
Assistant Professor, EIILM – Kolkata
Email: premraj.kharbanda@gmail.com
JEL Classification: O33, D63, K24, Z11 https://doi.org/10.65176/IJLM.V2I1.12
Abstract
This article analyses William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, through the modern lens of artificial intelligence (AI) and moral programming. It proposes that Macbeth’s descent into tyranny can be understood as a failure of ethical design, where external stimuli—the witches' prophecies and Lady Macbeth's influence—act as corrupting algorithmic inputs. By examining the characters as 'predictive algorithms' and 'moral programmers,' this study explores the tension between human agency and algorithmic determinism. Macbeth’s psychological torment is interpreted as a system error, highlighting the complexities of accountability in autonomous systems. Ultimately, this reading uses the timeless tragedy to reflect on contemporary concerns regarding AI ethics, the design of moral guardrails in automated decision-making, and the essential role of human oversight and accountability in the 21st century.
Keywords: Shakespeare and Artificial Intelligence; Moral Programming and Ethics; Algorithmic Determinism vs. Human Agency; Guilt, Responsibility, and System Design
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