When we think about AI and technology, the first thing that pops into our brain are heavy coding, engineering, silicon wafers, cold steel, etc., but never once do the words “religion”, “spirituality”, “morality” comes into our mind cause we still think AI as soulless machinery, that just run on the given codes and obey us mindlessly.
However, as technology takes over every aspect of our lives, we will be compelled to confront basic issues that were previously left to religion. For some people, this change might be quite challenging. It’s a shame, as there is positive potential to this as well, and that too spiritual one. Spiritually is more than just a particular faith, it is linked with one’s understanding of his or her connection with all of humanity. This is where technology comes into the picture.
God From the Machine
In today’s world, there is no denying that technology is a connector. We have become connected in more ways than ever, especially empathetically, which therefore makes us more spiritually connected.
Technology has more to offer than the iRosary app and allows pastors to promote their Facebook preaching updates to their followers. It also shows various parts of the world that suffer and are in dire need of our help .It provides people with sourced information and helps in making them understand that people with other faiths are not so different from them.
Technology will increase the spirituality levels by changing the way we spend our time and will increase our attention span as well. Soon AI will gradually free us from our basic mundane chores while also reforming economies, allowing us to focus more on our core values and transcendent parts of life.
For example, AI-driven automation, according to Elon Musk, would most possibly lead to universal basic income, in which citizens are paid a stipend to live on. As a result, many people may be able to dedicate more of their time and effort to social benefit rather than struggling to make ends meet.
The most apparent examples of how technology will promote spiritual growth include increased social connection, the liberation of society’s resources, and moral quandaries. But the most fascinating and difficult subject is our ultimate essence. Spirituality comes from the word “spirit”, which also translates to our soul, consciousness, or selves. Technology is playing a significant role when it comes to influencing the area of spirituality as well as in this century.
Do Androids Wish for Electric Sheep?
The 2045 Initiative is one of the most fascinating projects bridging the technological/spiritual gap. Its proclaimed purpose is as bold as they come: “to develop technologies that enable the transfer of an individual’s personality to a more evolved non-biological carrier, as well as the continuation of life, including to the point of immortality.” But what does the word “personality” actually mean? Is it just a replica of intricacies and characteristics? Is it a conscious state? or is it a spirit, or a soul?
These beliefs are extremely difficult for traditional religious beliefs, as they challenge the most major components of religion and pose mind-boggling dilemmas. For example, do the bits represented by technology represent a person? Is “he” or “she” given the same rights as a flesh-and-blood human?
When it comes to immortality, are all people, regardless of their wealth, religion, or caste, should be given this option? How does this help in influencing religious predictions that predict the end of the world and immortality in another dimension and not this one? What would religious leaders say about this shift in humankind?
The 2045 manifesto surely has made some commendable claims. The leaders of this initiative feel like the people’s bodies have somehow restricted them to reach their full potential to progress and perform for the greater good. By transferring their consciousness into a well-coded machine, they would potentially be able to free themselves from various restrictions and commit themselves to more noble causes.
A Moral World’s Future
Technology in the upcoming years is surely going to challenge all the traditional ways of religion, due to all the reasons given before. But what will be the most significant spiritual changes that technology is expected to bring?
In the meantime, AI is likely to develop mostly in analytical activities and enhance human labor instead of replacing it. In the beginning, morality may not play a significant part, but there is no obvious method for programming something we don’t understand. Nevertheless, the coming era of the omnipresent AI is already pointing a mirror to humankind, encouraging them to soul searching by posing many difficult issues to encounter.
As scientists work their best to encode our morality in code so that we all can learn something new and interesting about ourselves. Nothing transforms things in one’s mind more than having to teach it successfully to others, and there may be no purer case of teaching morality (and other spiritually meaningful stuff) than trying to infuse software with it.
All these factors of change will surely make up for an exciting journey. Something that originated nearly two centuries ago with Babbage’s Difference Engine has the potential to change our most deeply held beliefs about what it means to be a human. However, if we apply intelligence and self-awareness, it may bring great value to our spiritual life.
Author- Toshank Bhardwaj, AI and Telemedicine Content Creator
