Robots are the technological device of the future. More and more, robots are replacing humans in the workforce, demonstrating the benefits and the downsides of new technologies.
Robots are taking jobs away from humans but they are not going anywhere and some people are attempting to capitalize on the expanding use of robots in society in some pretty weird ways.
Anthony Levandowski, a former engineer with Uber and Google, has founded an AI-based religion he calls “The Way of the Future,” enabling people to worship a so-called “Godhead” robot.
Levandowski hopes to create a “church” that revolves around Artifical Intelligence where people will come and worship at the feet of a machine. This concept is completely ludicrous to millions of faith-based Americans, but tech experts think this AI church is the future.
From Daily Star:
John Mitchell, a lawyer and AI expert, said human beings, in general, tend to “worship supreme understanding”. Mr. Mitchell claims the same drive that compels people to believe in God and follow religions will work for Artificial Intelligence.
He explained: “We [believe] there must be some higher power that causes lightning, sunsets, and crashing waves – or at least speaks to the bottom of our beings, rather than ignore them as ho-hum background.”
Another tech expert, Dr. Stephen Thaler, argues that an AI would be the equivalent of a “Messiah” and be able to process things more efficiently than the human brain ever could. While many people are likely to be accepting of robots replacing humans in employment, worshiping a robot seems to be a completely different, and ridiculous concept.
Currently, robots primarily are used to assist humans complete tasks in a more efficient manner, but we do not view them as a part of their lives. They are merely a tool controlled by humans, and nothing else.
To treat a robot as God-like would completely disrupt how society functions, and likely would mean destroying all current religions as we know them. I cannot imagine anyone who is religious ever arguing in favor of an AI “Messiah”, so those who support this new “religion” are likely missing something in their own lives that religious people already have.
Military veteran Wayne Dupree believes that the worshiping of a robot could be very dangerous for society. You can check out his comments in the video below:
Would you ever worship a robot, or is this idea completely ridiculous? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!