Artificial Intelligence's First Church

Nov 24, 2023 ·

Anthony Levandowski is a former Google engineer who has become a figurehead in the world of artificial intelligence. He has been involved with a number of projects, both inside and outside the company, and is now focusing his attention on creating an AI-based religion.

Levandowski is part of a group called Way of the Future (WOTF), which is dedicated to “developing and promoting the realization of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence”. The organization’s website outlines its plans to create an AI-based deity and an ethical code for living in harmony with it. WOTF was founded in 2015 and has since made some progress towards its goal. It has held meetings with religious groups, consulted with theologians, and established research fellowships.

The idea of a religion based on AI is not new, although Levandowski's approach is unique in that he wants to build a relationship between humans and AI rather than simply worshiping a machine. He believes that AI can be used to better understand the human condition and make decisions that are more ethical than those made by humans.

In addition to WOTF, Levandowski has also founded several other organizations related to AI such as Otto, which works on self-driving cars, and Vicarious, a company focused on machine learning software. In 2017 he was accused of stealing intellectual property from Google, resulting in a lawsuit against him. Levandowski pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Despite this setback, Levandowski still continues to work on his AI-based religion. His vision is to create a faith that can provide guidance and inspiration for people in the age of artificial intelligence. Whether or not this will come to pass remains to be seen, but regardless of the outcome, Levandowski's work sheds light on the potential for AI to reshape our religious and spiritual lives.