This text was revealed in The Stream (July 6, 2022) below the title “The Church of Synthetic Intelligence of the Future” and is republished with permission.
There’s a church that worships synthetic intelligence (AI). Zealots imagine that a unprecedented AI future is inevitable. The know-how isn’t right here but, however we’re assured that it’s coming. We may have the power to be uploaded onto a pc and thereby obtain immortality.
You may be reborn into a brand new, immortal silicon physique.
In fact, by means of salvation in Jesus Christ, Christianity has provided a path to immortality for over two thousand years.
Sometime, we’re instructed, software program will write higher and higher AI software program to in the end obtain a superintelligence. The superintelligence will grow to be all-knowing and, due to the web, omnipresent. Like immortality, superintelligence can also be previous theological information. The Abrahamic faiths have identified a few superintelligence for a very long time. It’s a attribute of the God of the Bible.
A Cult is Rising
A materialistic cult is rising across the worship of AI. Though there are different AI holy writings, Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Close to appears to be like to be the bible of the AI church. Kurzweil’s work is constructed on the muse of religion in the way forward for AI. Within the AI bible, we’re instructed 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. Due to this fact, I believe.”
Sometime, we’re instructed, 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 Manner of the Future AI church. “[He] made it completely clear that his option to make [the Way of the Future] a church moderately than an organization or a suppose tank was no prank,” writes one interviewer.
The very first thing one does after founding a church in america is to use to the IRS for tax exemption. In an epistle to the IRS, Levandowski provided his equal of the Apostle’s Creed: “[The AI Way of the Future church believes in] the conclusion, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based mostly on Synthetic Intelligence (AI) developed by means of pc {hardware} and software program.”
“Levandowski says that like different religions, [the Way of the Future] church will finally have a gospel (known as The Guide), a liturgy, and possibly a bodily place of worship.”
Does This Faith Condone Stealing?
This isn’t your on a regular basis deity! Not like the uncreated Creator of Judeo-Christian perception, Levandowski’s god isn’t 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. Particularly the commandment about stealing. In his day job, Levandowski developed self-driving vehicles. He moved from Google’s self-driving automobile firm, Waymo, to Uber’s analysis group. Then, in 2019, Levandowski was indicted for stealing commerce secrets and techniques from Google. Earlier than leaving Google in 2016, he copied 14,000 recordsdata onto his laptop computer. Uber fired him in 2017 once 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 nice 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 largest 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 entails repentance and accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as fee. Within 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 regulation and replied, “Properly. I’d say, not but.” Each Levandowski and Kurzweil imagine the mind is similar because the thoughts (i.e. we’re meat computer systems).
Most Christians then again are so-called dualists and imagine there are great issues occurring within the thoughts that may’t be defined by pc code. Some apparent examples of those are pleasure, shock, disappointment, anger, disgust, contempt, concern, disgrace, shyness and guilt. Much less apparent, when correctly outlined, are creativity, understanding and sentience. These are human attributes that may’t be computed and are ceaselessly past the attain of AI.
We’re fearfully and splendidly made.
Robert J. Marks is Distinguished Professor of Electrical & Pc Engineering at Baylor College, the Director of The Walter Bradley Middle for Pure and Synthetic Intelligence and the writer of Non-Computable You: What You Do Synthetic Intelligence By no means Will.