Borges and Artificial Intelligence: An Analysis in the Style of Pierre Menard

This book analyzes the tight weave between literature and science found in Borges’ writings. Of the many aspects of scientific thought found in Borges’ work, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one even though the author was not aware of the existence of this technology. Borges discusses explicitly the mechanization of thoughts in some of his essays. Drawing on Borges’ idea that it is the reader, and not the writer, who sets the meaning on a text, a contemporary reader finds that many concepts of AI technology are implicit in his short stories, ideas such as hardware, software, memory, program and programmer, data, and so on. His essential skepticism echoes the skeptics of present-day AI scientists.