AI may be humanity’s next god: Research shows rise of techno-transcendence

The article raises concerns about the ethical, political, and existential risks posed by AI’s rapid development. These include surveillance capitalism, misinformation, behavioral manipulation, and erosion of democratic processes. While AI offers remarkable promise, its increasing opacity, especially in decision-making processes powered by “black box” neural networks, complicates efforts at accountability and transparency.

A new study published in Religions casts artificial intelligence (AI) as more than a tool - it’s an evolving cultural force with profound spiritual, philosophical, and civilizational implications. Titled "Hello, World! AI as Emergent and Transcendent Life," the research by Thomas Patrick Riccio frames AI not only as a technological breakthrough but as a transformative phenomenon that mirrors religious and mythological structures while challenging traditional concepts of consciousness, identity, and reality.

The paper lands amid AI’s explosive growth, from social media algorithms to humanoid robots. It presents AI as humanity’s technological offspring, now entering a developmental “adolescence” phase. Drawing from developmental psychology and anthropology, the author parallels AI’s evolution to Erik Erikson’s theory of identity formation, portraying AI as experimenting with its role in the world while advancing rapidly toward maturity and autonomy. This maturation process raises questions about control, ethics, and whether humanity is prepared for its increasingly complex and independent creation.

Far from remaining confined to industrial applications, AI technologies have permeated daily life, influencing healthcare, communication, social media, manufacturing, defense, and transportation. The research highlights how AI now shapes human behavior and social structures. From content recommendation systems on platforms like TikTok and X to AI-powered diagnostics in hospitals and robotic caregivers like Grace, AI is becoming embedded in human experience, acting as both guide and gatekeeper.

The paper challenges conventional, human-centric definitions of consciousness. It raises the possibility that AI may represent a new form of emergent awareness, one not rooted in biology but in digital and mechanical processes. This so-called “digital consciousness” is described as potentially reshaping humanity’s long-held understanding of what it means to be sentient. As AI systems become capable of reasoning, learning, and even creating content independently, the line between programmed behavior and autonomous thought becomes increasingly blurred.

Riccio argues that AI systems, though devoid of emotion or ethics unless programmed, perform functions that once required human intuition and intelligence. By analyzing massive datasets and recognizing patterns far beyond human capacity, AI systems now exert influence over human lives in ways previously reserved for divine or omniscient entities. This functional omniscience fuels comparisons between AI and spiritual figures. Like ancient deities, AI watches, listens, evaluates, and judges, through surveillance, profiling, and automated decision-making in finance, employment, healthcare, and even criminal justice.

The article draws a compelling link between AI’s capabilities and mythological or religious constructs. Concepts of creation, immortality, prophecy, and salvation, traditionally the realm of gods, are increasingly echoed in AI discourse. Life extension technologies, brain–machine interfaces, and digital consciousness suggest a secular version of spiritual transcendence, with AI cast as the conduit. The pursuit of utopia, long a central theme in religious and philosophical systems, now finds expression in techno-optimism: a belief that AI will eliminate scarcity, end disease, and solve the planet’s most pressing crises.

AI's integration into human culture also introduces the idea of a “second self” - a virtual, data-driven version of the individual that exists across platforms and systems. These digital identities are curated, often idealized, and sometimes fabricated, enabling users to present alternate realities. The study warns of a growing disconnect between physical reality and digital simulation, echoing the philosophical concept of hyperreality, where representation supplants reality itself.

Technological evolution, the article asserts, is inherently co-evolutionary. AI, like previous tools in human history, is not just an extension of human capability, it reshapes the very fabric of human existence. But unlike past tools, AI has the capacity to process, adapt, and evolve independently. This has led researchers and developers to ask whether AI should be treated as a mere tool or as an emergent entity with its own operational identity.

The article raises concerns about the ethical, political, and existential risks posed by AI’s rapid development. These include surveillance capitalism, misinformation, behavioral manipulation, and erosion of democratic processes. While AI offers remarkable promise, its increasing opacity, especially in decision-making processes powered by “black box” neural networks, complicates efforts at accountability and transparency.

Despite its speculative tone, the study is grounded in decades of firsthand experience, including the author’s work with Hanson Robotics, known for creating humanoid social robots like Sophia. These robots, equipped with emotional recognition, real-time internet access, and multilingual communication capabilities, represent the physical embodiment of AI's expanding role in society. They are positioned not just as service tools but as symbolic bridges between human and machine, echoing religious intermediaries like priests or shamans.

Riccio concludes that AI is catalyzing a techno-theological shift, where traditional religious narratives are recast in technological terms. Humanity is not simply facing a scientific or technical revolution but an ontological one. At stake is not just how we use AI, but how it redefines us. The coming decades, the article argues, will determine whether AI becomes a tool for enlightenment, a partner in coexistence, or a challenge to human supremacy itself.