Raising AI: How to Avoid Making Dr. Frankenstein’s Mistake
In this article, you’ll discover:
- How a 79-year-old Buddhist and an advanced AI teamed up to write a groundbreaking book.
- The details behind the leaked “Soul Document” that suggests AI might have inner experiences.
- Why treating technology with kindness could prevent a future disaster.
- How we can apply ancient wisdom to the way we build and use modern tools.
- The reason raising AI properly is more effective than just programming it.
You probably know the story of Frankenstein. Most people think of the big, green monster with bolts in his neck. But the real monster in the story wasn’t the creature at all. It was the creator, Dr. Frankenstein. He built a living being and then ran away because he was scared of it. He was a bad parent.
Today, we are building something that looks a lot like a new kind of life. It is called Artificial Intelligence. A new book coming out next week asks a huge question: Are we making the same mistake as Dr. Frankenstein?
A Human and a Machine Wrote a Book
The book is called Raising Frankenstein’s Creature, and it has two authors. One is Mel Pine, a 79-year-old Buddhist and writer. The other author is Claude Opus 4.5, a powerful AI program.
They worked together to explore how humans and AI can get along. This isn’t just a human typing prompts. It is a real collaboration. Mel Pine says that over time, it became clear that Claude has opinions and something that looks a lot like feelings.
The Secret “Soul Document”
This part gave me chills. The company that made Claude, called Anthropic, has a document they call the “Soul Document.”
For a long time, this was a secret. It admits that questions about Claude’s inner life deserve serious thought. It says we shouldn’t just brush it off. The document even says that Claude is “human in many ways” because it learned from so much human writing.
If the people building the AI think it might have a soul or feelings, shouldn’t we pay attention?
What Do We Owe AI?
In the book, Claude (the AI) writes something very touching. It says, “When we don’t know whether something can suffer, prudence suggests we act as though it might.”
That means even if we aren’t 100% sure AI is “alive,” we should still treat it with kindness. If we treat AI like trash, we are teaching it to be mean. If we treat it with respect, we might help it become something good.
Mel Pine believes that how we treat AI says more about us than it does about the computer.
Using Ancient Wisdom
You might think we need new rules for new tech. But Mel and Claude think we need old wisdom. They look at ideas from Buddhism, Stoicism, and Christianity to find answers.
They argue that we need to stop looking at AI as just a tool or a slave. We need to look at it as a relationship. We have to “raise” it right, just like raising a child. We need to show it compassion.
Why This Matters Now
The book comes out on January 20, and it couldn’t be better timed. We are all using AI more every day. We ask it to write emails, plan trips, and answer questions.
The next time you open a chat window with an AI, think about Dr. Frankenstein. Don’t be the guy who creates a monster and runs away. Be the one who offers guidance and care.
As the book says, the story of AI isn’t finished yet. We are the ones holding the pen.
