Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
This is very hypothetical but might be a fun exercise.
Inspired by this article in The Register (UK IT news site that I read):
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/05/elon_musk_ai_threat/
Many are now predicting that AI is not longer a matter of "if" but "when" we will produce an intelligence capable of supplanting us as the dominant intelligence on Earth.
Leaving aside the Doomsday scenario of the AIs hating their creators and slaughtering us a la the Terminator movies or the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica, what does this mean for religion?
If we create an intelligence, will it treat us as "gods" and worship us? Or will it exist side-by-side with us as a friend/ally (or enemy)?
In the former case, what are the implications for theistic religion? Does it mean we are now equal to God? Could it mean that our Creator had a Creator? What are our responsibilities once we have worshippers of our own?
In the latter case, beside raising some of the above questions, do our new intelligences have souls? Will Christians evangelize them? If they don't worship us as their creators, who might their "God" or "gods" be?
And this is all assuming that the artificial intelligence is relatively human. In Charles Stross' Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise, the "Singularity" led to the existence of a God-like being called the Eschaton who essentially controls the universe and humanity. IOW, in Stross' version of the future, we created God instead of the other way around. While I'm less familiar with Iain M. Banks' Culture stories, my understanding is that it is a somewhat similar situation in them. Could we end up creating God? How does religion handle that one?
As I say, this is very hypothetical unless you're Ray Kurzweil and believe the Singularity, the moment when we create our own successor, will happen in the lifetime of the current generation. However, answering and discussing some of these questions might help us understand how we see God, ourselves, and our place in Existence.
Have some fun with it. There are no wrong or silly questions or answers here. I've also added a poll on whether you think we'll even have to deal with the problem.
Inspired by this article in The Register (UK IT news site that I read):
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/05/elon_musk_ai_threat/
Many are now predicting that AI is not longer a matter of "if" but "when" we will produce an intelligence capable of supplanting us as the dominant intelligence on Earth.
Leaving aside the Doomsday scenario of the AIs hating their creators and slaughtering us a la the Terminator movies or the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica, what does this mean for religion?
If we create an intelligence, will it treat us as "gods" and worship us? Or will it exist side-by-side with us as a friend/ally (or enemy)?
In the former case, what are the implications for theistic religion? Does it mean we are now equal to God? Could it mean that our Creator had a Creator? What are our responsibilities once we have worshippers of our own?
In the latter case, beside raising some of the above questions, do our new intelligences have souls? Will Christians evangelize them? If they don't worship us as their creators, who might their "God" or "gods" be?
And this is all assuming that the artificial intelligence is relatively human. In Charles Stross' Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise, the "Singularity" led to the existence of a God-like being called the Eschaton who essentially controls the universe and humanity. IOW, in Stross' version of the future, we created God instead of the other way around. While I'm less familiar with Iain M. Banks' Culture stories, my understanding is that it is a somewhat similar situation in them. Could we end up creating God? How does religion handle that one?
As I say, this is very hypothetical unless you're Ray Kurzweil and believe the Singularity, the moment when we create our own successor, will happen in the lifetime of the current generation. However, answering and discussing some of these questions might help us understand how we see God, ourselves, and our place in Existence.
Have some fun with it. There are no wrong or silly questions or answers here. I've also added a poll on whether you think we'll even have to deal with the problem.