Alexander From the Great Beyond- How Microsoft’s New AI Chatbot Patent Could Have Shaped the World

Written by Callum McDonnell, reviewed by: Seán Butler & Oscar O’Neill

Dutch photographer and digital designer Bas Uterwijk’s impression of Alexander the Great using Artificial Intelligence (Greek City Times, 2020).

Alexander’s Reign

Alexander the Great built one of the most impressive and expansive empires to date. His empire spanned across what is now modern Greece to Egypt, including Israel, Palestine and parts of Libya. However, his empire crumbled almost immediately after his untimely death in 323 BC. This was mainly due to his lack of an explicit heir. With no natural successor his “Macedonian generals divided his territories into various Hellenistic states” (Whelan, 2021). All of Alexander’s life work of uniting cultures and armies was left undone within a matter of weeks as his generals began fighting over who should become the next emperor and who should own which land. “The death of Alexander meant that the army did not have a single leader. Rival generals ignored their superiors and followed their interests, and this was to the detriment of the unity of the Empire” (Whelan, 2021).

Alexander died at the age of 32. Had he lived it is believed he would have remained a military leader up to the age of 60 as was custom in those days, continuing to conquer more lands to add to his vast empire. While we can’t bring him back to life, the latest developments in a patent by Microsoft show an AI chatbot which lets you interact with the ‘minds and personalities’ of the dead, which isn’t too far off. Had this technology been around at the time of Alexander the Great’s death, would his virtual presence have been enough to keep his empire united long enough to find a rightful heir?

Microsoft A.I. Chatbot

“Microsoft’s Patent raises the possibility of creating a chat bot from the output of a specific person” (Collins, 2021). A profile could be built based off of social data, the letters Alexander wrote and the actions he took, and behavioural attributes such as unique interests and opinions which could then be trained to converse and interact with others in a similar way to how he used to. With this technology, in a ‘Black Mirror’ Esque fashion, Alexander could have continued to command his troops and continue expanding his empire from beyond his death.

Although creepy and artificial in nature, Alexander the Great was held in such high esteem, some even believed he was the son of Zeus, that it is possible his generals would have continued to heed the advice of a virtual leader. The AI chatbot would have collected the data of all the battles and decisions made by Alexander, then this library of information could be consulted in a ‘what would Alexander do?’ style. Could this new technology have led to the fulfillment of Alexander’s dream “of a universal empire that encompassed the known world”? (Whelan, 2021).

Ruling an Empire

Alexander the Great knew he was not enough on his own to keep his vast empire united.

In the summer of 335 BC a false rumour about Alexander’s death spread to Thebes in Greece. The Thebens took this opportunity to revolt against the Macedonian empire. When word reached Alexander he stormed to the city to regain control. Thebes, strong in spirit, refused to surrender even as Alexander threatened to tear the city to the ground. He ordered his men to slaughter all who opposed him and enslave the rest. As a result over six thousand Thebens perished, more than thirty thousand were captured, houses and sanctuaries were torn to the ground. Had Alexander used the Microsoft Chat A.I. Technology, it is possible thousands of lives could have been spared, rumours of his death would not have had such a strong impact as his A.I. personality would still be around to rule Thebes and other cities in his empire.

Uniting the World

If Alexander the Great’s empire hadn’t fallen so spectacularly after his death, it is likely they would have continued to expand and conquer. This would have resulted in greater Hellenization, the spread of all things Greek, including the language, Greek philosophy, science and art. If they had continued their conquest to China and beyond it is likely that the Greek language would have become the dominant language across the world.

Alexander was known to build towns and cities along his regions of conquest, many of which he would name after himself. He “founded some twenty cities which bore his name, most notably Alexandria in Egypt” (Chrysopoulos, 2019). Here he would introduce his culture and greek methodologies, with many citizens in Alexandria, Egypt believing they were more Greek than Egyptian. Had he been able to continue commanding his army following his death using this new patented technology, it is likely his army generals would have continued to spread Alexander’s ideologies and name future cities in honour of their great fallen leader.

The Great Legacy

Would Alexander have had a greater impact on the modern world if he had not died so young and carried on?

After some additional conflicts between his successors, by 280 BC, “Alexander’s conquests were finally divided between the Seleucids in Asia, the Ptolemies in Egypt, and the Antigonids in Macedonia. These kingdoms proved durable, and the successor states endured for roughly 200 years.” (Whelan, 2021)

At the time of Alexander’s death, his empire spanned more than 2 million square miles, a vast legacy for any man. His conquest only ended in 323 BC when his weary and restless army demanded to return home. Alexander tried everything to convince them to continue, from begging to threatening and everything in between. If Alexander the Great could not convince his army to continue marching in his human form then it is unlikely his virtual Artificial intelligence self could fare much better. It is likely that his army would have returned home to rest and recuperate. From here, his AI self would be counselled with to select his heir and decide where to conquer next.

Had he been successful we probably would have had the networks of great cities named Alexandria just as great for learning and preserving knowledge as the one in Egypt. His Hellanistic culture would have been more widespread and Greek is likely to have become the language of business and trade. It is possible Alexander would have achieved his vision of a united worldwide empire as a virtual ruler from the great beyond.

References

Chrysopoulos, P., 2019. Cities Around the Globe Founded by Alexander the Great — GreekReporter.com. [online] GreekReporter.com. Available at: <https://greekreporter.com/2019/04/30/cities-around-the-globe-founded-by-alexander-the-great/> [Accessed 11 February 2021].

Collins, B., 2021. Microsoft Could Bring You Back From The Dead… As A Chat Bot. [online] Forbes. Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2021/01/04/microsoft-could-bring-you-back-from-the-dead-as-a-chat-bot/> [Accessed 11 February 2021].

Duffy, C., 2021. Microsoft patented a chatbot that would let you talk to dead people. It was too disturbing for production. [online] CNN. Available at: <https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/27/tech/microsoft-chat-bot-patent/index.html> [Accessed 11 February 2021].

Greek City Times. 2020. Artist Uses AI To Recreate Face Of Alexander The Great — Greek City Times. [online] Available at: <https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/09/22/artist-uses-ai-to-recreate-face-of-alexander-the-great/> [Accessed 15 February 2021].

Whelan, E., 2021. Why did the Empire of Alexander the Great fragment after his death? — DailyHistory.org. [online] Dailyhistory.org. Available at: <https://dailyhistory.org/Why_did_the_Empire_of_Alexander_the_Great_fragment_after_his_death%3F#:~:text=Several%20factors%20caused%20the%20sudden,the%20territories%20Alexander%20had%20invaded> [Accessed 6 February 2021].