Could the anti-Christ turn out to be an AI?

[Z2100]

Ex-Google Executive Is Starting His Own Artificial Intelligence Church

Highly influential former Google engineer is developing an AI god

Anthony Levandowski, the former Google and Uber executive has filed paperwork with the IRS to officially register a religion centered around super-smart artificial intelligence (AI).

According to IRS documents, the new church of AI will aim “to develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on artificial intelligence and through understanding and worship of the Godhead [to] contribute to the betterment of society.” Levandowski would be the leader – in this case “dean” – of the religion.

The robot god will head a non-profit religious organization called “Way Of The Future” (WOTF). According to the website (wayofthefuture.church), the movement is “about creating a peaceful and respectful transition of who is in charge of the planet from people to people + ‘machines.'”

The basis of this new religion is that Levandowski’s believes that AI will one day grow to such efficiency that it surpass and overpower humans.

“Given that technology will ‘relatively soon’ be able to surpass human abilities, we want to help educate people about this exciting future and prepare a smooth transition,” the site explains. “In ‘recent’ years, we have expanded our concept of rights to both sexes, minority groups and even animals, let’s make sure we find a way for ‘machines’ to get rights too.”

“Let’s stop pretending we can hold back the development of intelligence when there are clear massive short term economic benefits to those who develop it and instead understand the future and have it treat us like a beloved elder who created it,” the site argues.

In a rare interview with WIRED, Levandowski shed more light on his new church WOTF. The gospel of the religion would be called “The Manual, and will have rituals and even a physical place of worship.

According to WIRED, the religion’s activities will concentrate on “the realization, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) developed through computer hardware and software.”

The church will perform outreach to AI industry leaders and professionals to network with those “who are interested in the worship of a Godhead based on AI.”

“What is going to be created will effectively be a god,” he said. “It’s not a god in the sense that it makes lightning or causes hurricanes. But if there is something a billion times smarter than the smartest human, what else are you going to call it?”

He added, “I would love for the machine to see us as its beloved elders that it respects and takes care of. We would want this intelligence to say, ‘Humans should still have rights, even though I’m in charge.’”

In the latter part of the interview, Levandowski compared the religion to other major religions of the world.

“There are many ways people think of God, and thousands of flavors of Christianity, Judaism, Islam,” he explained. “But they’re always looking at something that’s not measurable or you can’t really see or control. This time it’s different. This time you will be able to talk to God, literally, and know that it’s listening.”

Currently, Levandowski is at the center of a legal battle between Uber and Google’s Waymo. Levandowski who was co-founder of autonomous trucking company, Otto, which was bought by Uber for $680 million in 2016. His former employer, Google, alleges that he helped Uber steal trade secrets about self-driving car technology.

Just read that yesterday on FB. It fufills the last days prophecy where people will worship idols.

[JohnnyL]

The antichrist is a person. AI is just his, and by extension, the adversary's tool in the grand scheme.

Yes, "a physical body" for Satan. Not that his spirit enters it, but that it is programmed to do his will by its creator, his follower, the Anti-christ.

Well, spirits can enter living bodies and subjugate the original owners... If they find a way to interface the spirit and a non-living body... Can you imagine "I, Robot" but with wicked souls in each?

[JohnnyL]

I've never considered this.

Technology itself is benign. We assign good or evil to its purposes by our own design. If we use AI tech to bless others, i.e. cure disease, then Horray! we're furthering the Lord's work.

On the other hand, if we become bored or impatient with humanity as it is (waiting for Moses to come back down the mtn) and decide it's time to build an artificial path (idol/tower) to obtain a utopian society using technology rather than through agency, we are stomping on the gift of agency and declaring that Christ and his gospel are irrelevant. We would literally be "Anti-Christ".

Who needs Christ to change hearts and minds when all you need is AI intervention; if we can have a utopian society, today, via the coersion of an AI or other tech rather than via a change of hearts?

Sounds like the war in heaven to me.

Just as the Lord is helping us to become a Zion people, it stands to reason Satan has his counterfeit version in the works.

If this is the aim of AI developers today, then they are literally building their own gods (golden calf/idols). If so, they've cast off their faith and are tired of waiting on the Lord. That's sobering.

It's all just further motivation to throw ourselves into performing the Lord's work, stay tuned to the Prophet and to the Spirit for direction, and keep our lamps lit w/ plenty of oil to spare through diligent study, fasting, and prayer. We should be fearless! God is wiser and smarter by far than any AI.

"Stand ye in holy places and be not moved."

"Doubt not. Fear not."

Much of dystopian/ utopian (depends on which side you are on, right?) literature and cinema is based on non-feeling technology, coercion, and more.

Metropolis, anyone? Metropolis (1927 film); German science fiction directed film by Fritz Lang; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(1927_film)

[BeNotDeceived]

Can you imagine "I, Robot" but with wicked souls in each?

I Robot was an amazing book

Meet Sophia

[JohnnyL]

Robot; "synthetics" (search youtube); cyborg; clones; holograms.

Lots of possibilities...

[BeNotDeceived]

AI starts altering and re-writing its own code, there is no telling what direction it will go. It will start saying things and doing unexpected and maybe unintended things. And maybe with cleaver programming and wireless communications, it could be a cleaver sham.

If you think this is proof of agency, you are wrong. In an undergraduate robotics class and a graduate AI class we discussed that if you can predict exactly what input a program were to receive, you can predict future behavior.

Yes, artificial intelligences will start doing things that are both unexpected and unintended, but they will not be exercising agency. They will simply be following their programming, which may be predictably modified by other parts of their programming.

A golfer exercises agency when they select a club with which to strike the ball.

Sports seems lacking from the AI conversation, prolly as it may not serve commercial interests.

Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and many a rock are practically worshipped in modern society.

AI has begun to mimic human behavior and will soon surpass us in mechanical abilities to trounce even the best human athletes. In what sport do you think humans will first face robotic competitors?

[Fiannan]

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Revelations 13:15

[nancyvinci92]

With the rapid advancement in technology, it would be possible to inject a drug that increases your life expectancy and prolong your life, in the near future.

These drugs will lure people and make them want to live longer against God's will. Drugs cause psychedelic effects and some "intelligent" people claim that they think better and their brain activity tremendously rises under the effect of these drugs.

Basically, drugs offer them comfort, intelligence, money(?) and all earthly benefits. So, who or what is the real antichrist?

[Z2100]

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Revelations 13:15

I was just reading that the other day. Very interesting!

[RocknRoll]

With the rapid advancement in technology, it would be possible to inject a drug that increases your life expectancy and prolong your life, in the near future.

These drugs will lure people and make them want to live longer against God's will. Drugs cause psychedelic effects and some "intelligent" people claim that they think better and their brain activity tremendously rises under the effect of these drugs.

Basically, drugs offer them comfort, intelligence, money(?) and all earthly benefits. So, who or what is the real antichrist?

What makes you think living longer is against God's will?

[nancyvinci92]

If you believe in fate/destiny, that way of thinking seems fine.

[harakim]

Since reading this article and pondering on it, I am absolutely convinced that AI (and technology as a whole) is being used for great evil. Few people know how powerful computers really are. You will not want to be living in a city in 10 years. And everything you do online in secret will be out in the open for the forces of darkness. Don't think you can hide online, even today.

Your only protection is from God. Have a positive attitude and continually drive out negative feelings. The battle we are fighting is more or less in the emotional realm. The world is just an illusion. If you allow negative or evil feelings to exist within you, you are nourishing the enemy. Also, appreciate everything. Though the world is an illusion, it is a pretty incredible one.

I haven't clarified all of my thoughts, but I wanted to share the thoughts I was confident in. Also, thanks for posting in this thread.

[BeNotDeceived]

The book I thought was much better, but really both are essential pieces to an amazing puzzle.