Artificial Intelligence: Ars Notoria and the Promise of Instant Knowledge

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The Ars notoria was a medieval magical manuscript that promised to rapidly transmit advanced knowledge through diagrams, incantations, and rituals.
Its diagrams functioned like religious icons, allowing direct contact with supernatural forces, and were combined with prayers and mysterious words.
The text was condemned by theologians like St. Thomas Aquinas as unlawful and demonic, yet it remained popular and was copied in religious institutions.
John of Morigny, a 14th-century monk, documented his dangerous experiences with the Ars notoria, realizing it invoked demons despite its pious appearance.
The Ars notoria was adapted into shorter versions focusing on memory improvement, and continued to be printed and used into the Renaissance.
The manuscript appealed to those seeking social mobility through knowledge, especially those unable to afford university education.