This isn’t a quote in isolation. Elon Musk has also has referred to his belief that Larry Page seeks to create a digital god. In fact, the words AI and God are being used increasingly together, so much so that we may ask, “Do engineers really believe they are building God in the Machine?”
Certainly, AI seems to be surpassing our wildest imagination in terms of what it can do. It is a technological leap of astronomical proportions. Proponents say that we are on an upward trajectory of exponential proportions.
But why do we have to equate it to God? If AI tells us anything, it is the unimaginable distance from God to humans. If a tool can surpass a human so thoroughly in the facet of processing, then how far beyond is God himself? Infinitely so…
Facets, though, are important. The Christian God is deemed to be perfect in all facets, such that he is infinite and One, rather than a representation of finite sets. What other facets does AI really possess other than processing power? Is it even capable of the limited love that a pet gives?
We need, then, to guard against a shallow search for God. God has already, or is in the process of, giving us what we need to approach him.
So what is the shallow search?
We should not be searching for a different god because we don’t want to, or are afraid of, committing to a pre-defined set of moral requirements. Is this what is causing the search for a god in AI? The truth is, we all find rules and behavioral adaptations hard, but follow and adapt we must! The path to God is narrow, and we are the ones who need to change. The wish to create a god that reflects humanity, rather than humanity adapting to reflect God, is an inversion.
What, then, can one do regarding this? Well, from my perspective, don’t get too drawn into the digital, virtual world that is being created. Prize physical relationships with physical people, and work on building this up instead.
Life is not about creating distance between each other, but about drawing closer whilst we model ourselves on the Christian God who has already revealed himself to us through the Son, Jesus Christ.