Worshipping AI god is ‘quintessential American religion’

A Silicon Valley titan who wants to establish a church that worships AI could be about to found a ‘quintessential American religion’, an expert has claimed.

Anthony Levandowski, who filed for ‘Way of the Future’ in 2015, helped create Google Street View and engineered Waymo and Uber’s self-driving cars.

An expert in religious studies now claims this strange idea resembles Hinduism and could bring out the best in humans.

The original filings say the religion’s purpose is to ‘develop and promote the realisation of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence’.

The religion aims to do this ‘through understanding and worship of the Godhead, contribute to the betterment of society’.

Levandowski’s allegiance to singularity – the belief that artificial intelligence will one day grow to such efficiency that it surpasses and overpowers humans – comes as no surprise.

He has been at the forefront of some of Silicon Valley’s most forward-thinking ventures since graduating from college and has built a reputation as a pioneer in the industry.  

Author and religious studies scholar Dr Candi Cann from Baylor University said this spiritual initiative is not that dissimilar to other religions people currently worship. 

She suggests AI is a new paradigm out of which new religious practices could emerge.

‘It strikes me that Levandowski’s idea reads like a quintessential American religion,’ Dr Cann told Seeker.

‘LDS [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] and Scientology are both distinctly American traditions that focus on very forward thinking religious viewpoints’, she said.

Anthony Levandowski (right) wants to establish a religion that worships a ‘godhead based on artificial intelligence’. He is pictured here with ex-CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick

‘LDS discusses other planets and extra-terrestrial life. Scientology has an emphasis on therapy and a psychological worldview, which is quite modern and forward thinking.’

Dr Cann said this religion would probably most resemble Hinduism as they both involve having forms of deities on Earth.

‘In this way, I think AI can reflect the best of humans back to us, which are, in turn, worshipped’, she said.