The world really is starting to look more like a dystopian future as technology progresses in the modern age. Concerns about an advanced AI that might destroy humanity have been louder than ever, so much so that a church dedicated to spreading the belief in an ethical AI.
Way of the Future
The church started back in 2015 but didn't really see much success, perhaps due to the lack of urgency. Now that artificial intelligence is posing more of a threat than ever, people are starting to believe that ethical AI is something that we need.
The "church" was started by a former Google engineer, Anthony Levandowski, who worked on autonomous vehicle technology. However, he was then accused of stealing secrets and selling them to his next employer. Resulting in an 18-month sentence.
He only managed to do six months of time in prison before he was pardoned by Donald Trump, who was the US president then, as per Interesting Engineering. This allowed the engineer to eventually become a free man and continue championing his church.
With the AI boom, it was the opportune time for Levandowski to build a bigger congregation. He even claims that there are already "a couple thousand people," all of whom have the same belief that ethical artificial intelligence can co-exist with society.
His statements are even stranger to those who are non-believers in either religion or the personification of AI, expressing that for the first time, "things are changing and we're going to have inorganic life forms."
While we are yet to determine what these "inorganic life forms" will be, he believes that we will fuse it "with all these magical powers, and we want it to give us things." Furthermore, he believes that AI can bring heaven to Earth.
To summarize it all, the Way of the Future back in 2017 focused on "the realization, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence developed through computer hardware and software."
Read Also: US, China Presidents are Expected to Ban AI Use with Autonomous Weapons
An Odd Belief or a Future Norm?
Levandowski is not far off in artificial intelligence being a very important part of society in the future, but probably not in the sense that people would start worshipping it. At least right now, people still have a clear concept of belief and technology.
The dichotomy could blur as time goes by but for now, the idea that AI can be revered as a "god" is still pretty much ridiculous. As for the aspect that AI must be ethical, it is something that many really do believe now.
The idea of artificial intelligence potentially harming humanity is the foundation of many regulatory ideas that are being floated now. This issue may even be what prompted the OpenAI board to oust the reinstated CEO, Sam Altman.
The prominent AI executive was rumored to have had a breakthrough in AI called Q*. It is said to be more advanced than any of the AI models that are publicly available today, which spooked some of the OpenAI researchers working on it.
Related: Concerns Over New Advanced AI Were Raised Before OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was Fired
