What is pygmalion?

"Pygmalion" can refer to different things depending on the context, including a play, a mythological figure, and modern technological applications. Here are brief descriptions of each:

1. Pygmalion (Mythology): In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a talented sculptor from Cyprus who fell in love with a statue he had carved. According to the story, he created a statue of a woman so beautiful and lifelike that he found himself enamored with it. Moved by his love, the goddess Aphrodite granted life to the statue, which Pygmalion then married. This myth has been a source of inspiration for various works of art and literature.

2. Pygmalion (Play by George Bernard Shaw): "Pygmalion" is a play written by George Bernard Shaw, first performed in 1913. The play tells the story of Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, who makes a bet that he can train Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, to speak and behave like a duchess within six months. The play explores themes such as social class, identity, and transformation. It has been adapted into various other formats, including the musical "My Fair Lady."

3. Pygmalion in Technology (AI): In recent years, the term "Pygmalion" has also been used in technology, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. It often refers to the "Pygmalion effect," a psychological phenomenon where higher expectations lead to improved performance. In AI terms, it might relate to training models with the expectation of specific outcomes or improvements based on initial parameters or inputs.

If you have a specific context in mind, please let me know, and I can provide more detailed information!