Apocalyptic A.I. - A New Religion?

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Uploaded 28-04-23

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What happens when the lines between ancient prophecies and modern technology blur? In this video, we explore the striking similarities between religious apocalyptic literature and the predictions surrounding artificial intelligence and the Singularity. Discover how scholars like Robert Geraci and Beth Singler have identified the echoes of ancient apocalyptic narratives in the works of AI theorists like Ray Kurzweil and Hans Moravec.

Further reading:
Beth Singler, 2019 “An Ethnographic Discussion of Existential Hope and Despair in AI Apocalypticism”, in Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science, vol 54, issue 1; https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12494

Beth Singler, 2022 “Left Behind? Religion as a Vestige in ‘The Rapture of the Nerds’ and Other AI Singularity Literature”, in Science and Religion in Western Literature: Critical and Theological Studies, ed Michael Fuller, Routledge.

Robert Geraci, 2010. Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. New York: Oxford University Press.

Robert Geraci, 2010. “Popular Appeal of Apocalyptic AI.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 45(4): 1003-1020.

Robert Geraci, 2008. “Apocalyptic AI: Religion and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 76(1): 138-166.





00:00 Intro
2:17 Part 1: Apocalypticism, not Doomerism
7:55 Part 2: Divine Intervention
10:24 Part 3: Alienated by Biology
15:41 Part 4: Repent, the Singularity is at Hand

Select footage and images courtesy of Getty



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