
In Plato’s cave, humans watch silhouettes flicker on the wall, unaware that fires just behind them are distorting reality into a shadow world – not unlike the world we find ourselves in today, aided by social media and artificial intelligence (AI), argues the former Greek prime minister George Papandreou.
According to Plato’s scenario, if someone escaped the cave, their eyes would be overwhelmed by the sunlight, but once adjusted, they would see the world for what it truly is. However, the escapee would not be able to rescue the others, because they would be unable to convince them to leave the cave.