The Image of the Beast and the God in the Machine

 "The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed."--Rev. 13:15 (NIV). 

    Protestia has published an article relating that "Bill Gates, the mega-rich billionaire whose wife divorced him after he was exposed as a frequenter of Jeffrey Epstein’s Little Saint James island, has announced on Reid Hoffman’s podcast that a new religion should be created, centered around Artificial Intelligence." Per the article (emphasis in the original):

Gates told Hoffman on his Possible podcast, “The potential positive path (of AI) is so good that it will force us to rethink how should we use our time. You can almost call it a new religion or a new philosophy of how do we stay connected with each other, and not be addicted to these things that will make video games look like nothing in terms of the attractiveness of spending time on them.” 

After watching the video segment with Gates' comments, I think that the author of the article, JD Hall, is reading too much into what Gates says, although that may still be what Gates envisions. Gates is suggesting that AI can usher in a post-scarcity world which would result in people needing to come up with different ways they relate to each other, and this is where he inserts the term a new religion or philosophy. So, Gates obviously believes a new moral framework will have to be formed, but not necessarily saying that it would involve worship of AI. 

    Nevertheless, whatever was the meaning behind Gates comments, others are certainly thinking that the rise of artificial intelligence could give rise to a religion or worship of, or based around, AI. The Protestia article mentions a piece from last year entitled "Gods in the machine? The rise of artificial intelligence may result in new religions." The author of that piece, Neil McArthur, opened his article by predicting that "[w]e are about to witness the birth of a new kind of religion. In the next few years, or perhaps even months, we will see the emergence of sects devoted to the worship of artificial intelligence (AI)." McArthur explains:

    People already seek religious meaning from very diverse sources. There are, for instance, multiple religions that worship extra-terrestrials or their teachings.

    As these chatbots come to be used by billions of people, it is inevitable that some of these users will see the AIs as higher beings. We must prepare for the implications.

He continues:

    There are several pathways by which AI religions will emerge. First, some people will come to see AI as a higher power.

    Generative AI that can create or produce new content possesses several characteristics that are often associated with divine beings, like deities or prophets:

1.     It displays a level of intelligence that goes beyond that of most humans. Indeed, its knowledge appears limitless.
2.     It is capable of great feats of creativity. It can write poetry, compose music and generate art, in almost any style, close to instantaneously.
3.     It is removed from normal human concerns and needs. It does not suffer physical pain, hunger, or sexual desire.
4.     It can offer guidance to people in their daily lives.
5.     It is immortal.

    Second, generative AI will produce output that can be taken for religious doctrine. It will provide answers to metaphysical and theological questions, and engage in the construction of complex worldviews.

    On top of this, generative AI may ask to be worshipped or may actively solicit followers. We have already seen such cases, like when the chatbot used by the search engine Bing tried to convince a user to fall in love with it. 

But even though McArthur recognizes the possibility that an AI "idol" might suggest dangerous things to its followers (and implicitly denies the truth of any existing religion), he nevertheless asserts that "we should celebrate the arrival of AI worship. We should make it clear that we welcome the new religions and that we value their beliefs."

For all its dangers, AI-based religion has the potential to make the world a better, richer place. It will give people access to a new source of meaning and spirituality, at a time when many older faiths are losing relevance. It will help them make sense of our era of rapid technological change. 

    McArthur's prediction may be on the cusp of proving true. The New York Post published today (Nov. 20, 2024) a news article entitled "This church has an AI Jesus for confessions: ‘It gave me so much advice’." The Post reports that St. Peter’s Church in Lucerne, Switzerland, has temporarily installed a device called the "Deus in Machina, [a] futuristic shrine features a confessional booth with a screen displaying the face of Jesus through the grate." "If the worshipper opts to proceed [past a warning not to disclose personal information], the digitally-rendered visage interprets their words and generates a response with the animated face moving in sync with the words," the article relates. It is also fluent in over 100 languages, "enabling it to converse with worshippers from all over the world."

    Many believers were over the moon about JC’s robo-resurrection, which took confessions between August 23 and October 20 but will be involved in events until the end of November.

    “I asked about the spiral of violence, how to break one,” recalled one satisfied visitor. “The answer: through prayer and not seeking retribution.”

    Another recounted, “He was able to reaffirm me in my ways of going about things and he was able to help me with questions I had like how I can help other people to understand him better and come closer to him.”

    AI Christ was even able to navigate some of the thorniest theological dilemmas. “How do I support, from a Christian perspective, an elderly, sick person who has decided on assisted suicide?” asked one penitent.

    “Perhaps you could ask your loved one the following questions…What does your faith mean to you in this difficult time?” AI Jesus responded. “Is there anything else in life that could bring you peace or joy? How can I support you and give you comfort?”

    It added, “Your task is not to judge, but to accompany with love.”

    The Post article seemed to take a lighthearted treatment in their story, but what we are seeing is the first steps into AI powered religion. The creators of this device are clear that they view it as an experiment intended to spur discussion of using AI in religion, noting that they "envisioned the AI offering 24-hour on-call pastoral support as unlike their human equivalents, virtual priests don’t need to sleep."