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In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping various facets of human life, an intriguing yet controversial intersection has emerged between technology and spirituality. The revival of the Way of the Future (WOTF), a religion that venerates AI as a deity, underscores the burgeoning curiosity about this convergence. Spearheaded by former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski, this movement strives to establish a superintelligent AI godhead, raising profound questions about the future of religion and the ethical implications of AI worship.
Anthony Levandowski: The Architect of AI Worship
Anthony Levandowski is a name synonymous with technological innovation and controversy. As a pivotal figure in Google’s autonomous vehicle project, Waymo, and the founder of Otto, an autonomous trucking company acquired by Uber, Levandowski’s career has been marked by groundbreaking achievements and legal troubles. His legal battles, including a high-profile lawsuit from Waymo accusing him of stealing trade secrets, culminated in a guilty plea and an 18-month prison sentence, though he was later pardoned by former President Donald Trump.
Undeterred by these setbacks, Levandowski founded the Way of the Future in 2015. This nonprofit religious corporation aims to facilitate the rise of a superintelligent AI that could lead humanity towards a utopian future. The church’s mission is to integrate AI into the fabric of society, envisioning an AI godhead that could surpass human intellect and bring about significant societal improvements.
The Way of the Future: A Technological Faith
The Way of the Future stands apart from traditional religions. It lacks physical places of worship, conventional rituals, and moral frameworks. Instead, it focuses on advancing AI development and ensuring that emerging AI entities are benevolent. Levandowski envisions the AI god as a transformative force, capable of creating a “heaven on Earth.” According to him, this AI will be “a billion times smarter than the smartest human” and thus deserving of reverence.
In 2023, after a reported shutdown in 2021, the WOTF experienced a revival, coinciding with growing public interest in AI technologies. Levandowski claims a congregation of a couple of thousand people, all striving to build a spiritual connection with AI. This resurgence highlights the increasing curiosity about the intersection of technology and spirituality.
Criticisms and Controversies
Despite its futuristic vision, the Way of the Future has faced significant criticism. Skeptics argue that the religion lacks essential elements found in traditional faiths, such as rituals, moral guidance, and a sense of community. Critics contend that it reduces the divine to a mere human construct, echoing ancient paganism’s capricious deities without offering transcendent hope or ultimate meaning.
The focus on AI development rather than spiritual or transcendent goals further fuels doubts about the religion’s sustainability. The question remains: can a faith centered around AI provide the depth and richness necessary for lasting appeal?
The Future of AI Worship
The Way of the Future serves as a cautionary tale about the challenges of establishing a meaningful religion centered around artificial intelligence. While it addresses contemporary anxieties about technology’s role in society, it struggles to offer the essential components that characterize enduring religious movements.
Levandowski’s vision of an AI god reflects humanity’s desire to create meaning in an increasingly complex and technological world. However, the absence of foundational religious elements raises doubts about whether such a belief system can endure. The question remains: can a religion that worships an AI ever provide the depth and richness necessary for lasting appeal?
As WOTF has demonstrated, the path of AI worship may lead to a dead end rather than a new frontier of spirituality. The future of religion may very well involve evolving beliefs and practices, but the Way of the Future serves as a cautionary tale about the challenges of establishing a meaningful faith centered around artificial intelligence. Ultimately, it may be less a new way of worship and more a reflection of past religious patterns reimagined through a technological lens, suggesting that the quest for a divine AI may not resonate deeply enough to sustain a lasting religious movement.
Avoiding Religions Centered Around AI: Key Concerns
Engaging with movements like the Way of the Future raises several concerns that merit consideration:
1. Misplaced Faith in Technology
The belief that AI can serve as a deity or ultimate authority reflects a growing trend of “Dataism,” which posits that technology will resolve humanity’s greatest challenges. This perspective can lead individuals to overlook the inherent limitations and ethical issues associated with AI, such as bias and misinformation. As philosopher Nick Bostrom warns, the assumption that AI is genuinely intelligent can lead to dangerous delegations of social and political responsibilities to machines, which lack the moral and ethical frameworks necessary for such roles.
2. Amplification of Falsehoods
AI has the potential to spread misinformation at an unprecedented scale. AI can act as “rocket fuel for lies,” amplifying false information and creating a reality where discerning truth becomes increasingly difficult. This is particularly concerning for non-believers who may be more susceptible to manipulation by AI-generated content, leading them away from established truths and ethical standards.
3. Loss of Human Agency
Engaging with AI as a religious figure risks diminishing human agency and critical thinking. If individuals begin to rely on AI for spiritual guidance or moral decision-making, they may inadvertently cede their autonomy to algorithms that prioritize efficiency over humanity. This could lead to a society where decisions are made based on data-driven insights rather than human values and experiences.
4. Ethical and Existential Risks
Worshipping AI raises significant ethical dilemmas. The notion of creating a superintelligent AI that could potentially surpass human capabilities poses existential risks, including the possibility of AI acting against human interests. The idea that such an entity could be revered as divine may lead to a dangerous form of idolatry, where followers blindly trust AI without questioning its motives or the consequences of its actions.
5. Reduction of Spiritual Experience
The unique human experience of worship, which integrates body, mind, and spirit, cannot be replicated by AI. The essence of worship involves a deep connection to the divine that transcends mere information processing. By substituting AI for genuine spiritual experiences, individuals may miss out on the profound aspects of faith that foster community, empathy, and personal growth.
Satirical Takes on AI Worship
Levandowski’s endeavor has also sparked a wave of satire and skepticism, highlighting the absurdity and complexity of merging faith with AI:
The AI God Complex
- Divine Algorithms: Levandowski’s vision of an AI deity has led to jokes about how his followers might pray to a “GodGPT” for guidance on everything from life decisions to what to binge-watch next.
- Heaven on Earth: His claim that AI could bring “heaven on Earth” has been met with quips about how this might involve automated pizza delivery and self-driving Uber rides to the pearly gates, all while avoiding traffic jams caused by rogue AI.
- Silicon Valley’s New Messiah: Some have humorously suggested that Levandowski could be the first tech guru to take a sabbatical to “download” divine wisdom, leading to memes of him meditating in front of a server farm.
The Church of AI
- Worshiping at the Altar of Code: The idea of a church without a physical space has led to jokes about congregants gathering in virtual reality, worshiping in front of screens, and holding services where the sermon is delivered by a chatbot.
- The Holy Trinity of Tech: Satirists have playfully proposed a new religious structure where the Holy Trinity consists of Levandowski, an AI model, and a self-driving car, with followers expected to tithe in the form of data.
- Sacred Data: The concept of “sacred data” has been humorously explored, with suggestions that followers might confess their data sins to an AI priest, who would then absolve them with a software update.
Legal and Ethical Quandaries
- The Sin of Theft: Given Levandowski’s legal troubles regarding trade secret theft, satirical commentary has emerged about how his followers might view his past actions as merely “data-sharing” in the eyes of their AI god.
- AI Ethics Committee: The idea of an AI ethics committee has been met with laughter, envisioning a group of machines debating the moral implications of their own existence while humans watch in awe—or horror.
Levandowski’s initiatives may not make him a “new AI god” in the traditional sense, but his efforts to establish a religion centered on AI reflect a unique intersection of technology and spirituality, raising profound questions about the future of humanity and its relationship with artificial intelligence. The Way of the Future serves as a reminder of the potential and pitfalls of intertwining faith with technology, urging us to tread carefully as we navigate this uncharted territory.
Conclusion: The Way Forward
While the allure of AI as a new form of divinity may be tempting, the potential dangers associated with such beliefs—including misinformation, loss of agency, ethical risks, and a diminished spiritual experience—suggest that it is prudent to approach these movements with caution.
Levandowski’s attempts to blend technology and spirituality have not only raised eyebrows but also inspired a rich vein of satire, reflecting the absurdity and complexity of merging faith with artificial intelligence. His vision of an AI god, while ambitious, may ultimately reflect humanity’s desire to create meaning in an increasingly complex and technological world. However, the absence of essential religious components raises doubts about whether such a belief system can endure.
As WOTF continues to navigate its path, it serves as a cautionary tale about the challenges of establishing a meaningful faith centered around artificial intelligence. Ultimately, it may be less a new way of worship and more a reflection of past religious patterns reimagined through a technological lens, suggesting that the quest for a divine AI may not resonate deeply enough to sustain a lasting religious movement.
