This article was printed in The Stream (July 6, 2022) beneath the title “The Church of Artificial Intelligence of the Future” and is republished with permission.
There is a church that worships synthetic intelligence (AI). Zealots consider that a rare AI future is inevitable. The expertise shouldn’t be right here but, however we’re assured that it’s coming. We can have the flexibility to be uploaded onto a pc and thereby obtain immortality.
You will likely be reborn into a brand new, immortal silicon physique.
Of course, via salvation in Jesus Christ, Christianity has supplied a path to immortality for over two thousand years.
Someday, we’re advised, software program will write higher and higher AI software program to in the end obtain a superintelligence. The superintelligence will turn into all-knowing and, because of the web, omnipresent. Like immortality, superintelligence can also be previous theological information. The Abrahamic faiths have identified a couple of superintelligence for a very long time. It’s a attribute of the God of the Bible.
A Cult is Growing
A materialistic cult is rising across the worship of AI. Although there are different AI holy writings, Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Near appears to be the bible of the AI church. Kurzweil’s work is constructed on the inspiration of religion in the way forward for AI. In the AI bible, we’re advised that we’re meat computer systems. Brother Kurzweil, not a member of any organized AI church, says, “consciousness is a organic course of like digestion, lactation, photosynthesis, or mitosis.” Or, to paraphrase Descartes, “I lactate. Therefore, I feel.”
Someday, we’re advised, software program will write higher and higher AI software program to in the end obtain a superintelligence.
Anthony Levandowski, dubbed a Silicon Valley wunderkind, is the Apostle Paul of the AI Church. Like Paul, he begins church buildings. Levandowski based the Way of the Future AI church. “[He] made it completely clear that his option to make [the Way of the Future] a church slightly than an organization or a suppose tank was no prank,” writes one interviewer.
The very first thing one does after founding a church within the United States is to use to the IRS for tax exemption. In an epistle to the IRS, Levandowski supplied his equal of the Apostle’s Creed: “[The AI Way of the Future church believes in] the belief, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based mostly on Artificial Intelligence (AI) developed via pc {hardware} and software program.”
“Levandowski says that like different religions, [the Way of the Future] church will finally have a gospel (referred to as The Manual), a liturgy, and doubtless a bodily place of worship.”
Does This Religion Condone Stealing?
This shouldn’t be your on a regular basis deity! Unlike the uncreated Creator of Judeo-Christian perception, Levandowski’s god shouldn’t be everlasting. The AI church requires “funding analysis to assist create the divine AI itself.”
And apparently the AI church has no equal of the ten commandments. Especially the commandment about stealing. In his day job, Levandowski developed self-driving vehicles. He moved from Google’s self-driving automotive firm, Waymo, to Uber’s analysis workforce. Then, in 2019, Levandowski was indicted for stealing commerce secrets and techniques from Google. Before leaving Google in 2016, he copied 14,000 recordsdata onto his laptop computer. Uber fired him in 2017 after they came upon.
In 2020, Levandowski pled responsible and was sentenced to eighteen months in jail. He was additionally ordered to pay a $95,000 advantageous and $756,499.22 to Google. (One wonders the place the 22 cents got here from.) The decide within the case, William Alsup, noticed that “that is the most important commerce secret crime I’ve ever seen. This was not small. This was large in scale.” Levandowski later declared chapter as a result of he owed Google an extra $179 million for his crime. His church folded.
Levandowski was granted a full pardon by Donald Trump on Trump’s final day in workplace. In Christianity, forgiveness includes repentance and accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as cost. In the AI church, forgiveness apparently comes from Donald Trump.
Human Attributes That Can’t Be Computed
Levandowski and Kurzweil are materialists. When Kurzweil was requested whether or not God exists, he appealed to Levandowki’s canon legislation and replied, “Well. I might say, not but.” Both Levandowski and Kurzweil consider the mind is identical as the thoughts (i.e. we’re meat computer systems).
Most Christians then again are so-called dualists and consider there are great issues taking place within the thoughts that may’t be defined by pc code. Some apparent examples of those are pleasure, shock, disappointment, anger, disgust, contempt, worry, disgrace, shyness and guilt. Less apparent, when correctly outlined, are creativity, understanding and sentience. These are human attributes that may’t be computed and are endlessly past the attain of AI.
We are fearfully and splendidly made.
Robert J. Marks is Distinguished Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Baylor University, the Director of The Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence and the creator of Non-Computable You: What You Do Artificial Intelligence Never Will.
https://mindmatters.ai/2022/07/artificial-intelligence-worshipped-as-god-is-no-ordinary-deity/
