The Religion of AI.

If you believe as I do in ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, that is the hypothesis that the development of the embryo of an animal emulates the evolution of the animal's remote ancestors, you may see similarities between the rise and rise and rise of AI and how modern religion came into being. 

Anemones. Just for the Haeckel of it.

Of course, I don't believe in the literal science of Haeckel's  debunked theory of ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny (ORP) but I believe that most things--belief systems included--are birthed through a set of similar steps. 

A child learning to ride a bike might resemble a person beginning to learn to ski or fly an airplane. Learning to read might follow a course not entirely dissimilar to how you learn to use the Adobe creative suite or fill out a timesheet on something called "workday." Similarly, a child learning to walk might resemble a large social organization 'learning to walk,' that is navigating its way through a new market or territory.

To my old but 20/20 eyes, AI is today accompanied by an omni-presence and a zealotry such that it looks a lot like Christianity from almost 2,000 years ago. A lot of what the world did as it adopted that belief system is just what the world is doing now as it adopts the AI belief system.

Here are twelve similarities I've noticed. (BTW, I'm working on this as an idea. It is not yet fully-formed, so go easy on me.)

ONE: Religion and AI are incredibly powerful and potentially a force for good. They can transport you (and all of humankind) to worlds of staggering wonder and goodness.

TWO: Religion and AI are incredibly powerful and a potential  force of Armageddon. Left unchecked, or without proper beliefs guiding them, they can destroy all.

THREE: Religion and AI are incredibly complex. Do not question how they work, how they've obtained their wisdom and prescience, just accept their rightness. In fact, to question religion and AI is dangerous and heretical.

FOUR: Religion and AI, like catholicism and protestantism, rule the world. All seeing 'market-forces' like the inter caetera bull of Pope Alexander VI in 1493, will divide the world between different AIs as it sees fit. This dividing line--which is imaginary-- is also law. What's more, it applies even to realms, lands, companies, and others as yet unknown and undiscovered.

FIVE: Religion and AI are not to be questioned. Even thinking about questioning their supremacy is a sin--punishable by essential excommunication and/or death or accusations of 'Luddism.' As Nat 'King' Cole sang, "you're the lowest form of human, you're a square."

SIX: Believers in Religion and AI have the only path to salvation, light and eternal life. Non-believers are destined to either burn or be enslaved and tormented.

SEVEN: Burning, enslavement and torment for non-believers is not cruel. Non-belief is so evil it warrants the punishment received. You're either with us or against us.

EIGHT: Religion and AI will run into people who have different belief systems and different ways of managing their world. But because a different way of living and thinking is different, our form of Religion and AI are unable to see or consider it. Different is wrong.

NINE: Religion and AI had high aspirations. As John Donne wrote in "Paradise Lost," religion was originally meant to "justifie the wayes of God to men." Likewise AI--in its original intent was meant to find a cure for cancer, alleviate traffic, help solve eternal riddles. Before long and via widespread and practical adoption, Religion and AI will be used primarily for fund-raising for Religion and AI and to make cat videos quickly and for IPOs (fund-raising.)

TEN: Religion and AI are so complex and inscrutable that only a few "priests," can understand their language (code or Latin) and speak to the gods. Priests/tech bros become conduits to the all-powerful and therefore must be all-obeyed.

ELEVEN: Religion and AI will create their own 'virtuous circle.' They will use their powers to make themselves more powerful and anything contrary to their accumulation of power is cum hoc ergo propter hoc is to be ignored, disparaged or destroyed.

TWELVE: Religion and AI will remain unchecked and propagated by those made richest by Religion and AI. The richest will promote and thereby get richester.

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1493. Papal Bull.

We trust in Him from whom empires and governments and all good things proceed, that, should you, with the Lord’s guidance, pursue this holy and praiseworthy undertaking, in a short while your hardships and endeavors will attain the most felicitous result, to the happiness and glory of all Christendom. But inasmuch as it would be difficult to have these present letters sent to all places where desirable, we wish, and with similar accord and knowledge do decree, that to copies of them, signed by the hand of a public notary commissioned therefor, and sealed with the seal of any ecclesiastical officer or ecclesiastical court, the same respect is to be shown in court and outside as well as anywhere else as would be given to these presents should they thus be exhibited or shown. Let no one, therefore, infringe, or with rash boldness contravene, this our recommendation, exhortation, requisition, gift, grant, assignment, constitution, deputation, decree, mandate, prohibition, and will. Should anyone presume to attempt this, be it known to him that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul. Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, in the year of the incarnation of our Lord one thousand four hundred and ninety-three, the fourth of May, and the first year of our pontificate.

 

2026. Silicon Bull.

We trust in AI from whom empires and governments and all good things proceed, that, should you, with the Altman's guidance, pursue this holy and praiseworthy undertaking, in a short while your hardships and endeavors will attain the most felicitous result, to the happiness and glory of all humankind. But inasmuch as it would be difficult to have these present letters sent to all places where desirable, we wish, and with similar accord and knowledge do decree, that to copies of them, signed by the hand of advertising agencies, pr firms and social platforms (which we own) and sealed with the seal of any trillion dollar valuation company and officers thereof, the same respect is to be shown in court and outside as well as anywhere else as would be given to these presents should they thus be exhibited or shown. Let no one, therefore, infringe, or with rash boldness contravene, this our recommendation, exhortation, requisition, gift, grant, assignment, constitution, deputation, decree, mandate, prohibition, and will. Should anyone presume to attempt this, be it known to him that he will incur the wrath of Almighty Altman and of the blessed apostles Amodei, Zuk, Huang and Musk. Given at Silicon Valley, in the year of the incarnation of our Lord two thousand and twenty-six, the second of October, and the year of our pontification.