Why AI sounds so much like religion

Why AI sounds so much like religion TAYLOR OWEN PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this podcast 42:24 1X For the best listening experience and to never miss an episode, subscribe to Machines Like Us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For years, the debate about AI was mostly about what it could do – whether it could write, make convincing art, or beat us at our own games. The questions now are older and harder. What makes us human? How do we find meaning? If a machine can do more of the things we thought made humans special, where does that leave us? These aren’t new questions, but rapid advances in AI have made them feel a lot more urgent. Even Pope Leo XIV chose artificial intelligence as the subject of his first encyclical. Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain at Harvard and MIT and author of Tech Agnostic, has been asking these questions long before the machines showed up. He argues that we’re living in a moment with too much certainty, and that the most useful thing we could embrace right now might be doubt. Sign up for our Morning Update newsletter. Start your day with context and insight on the biggest stories shaping our lives SIGN UP EXPLORE NEWSLETTERS Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Comments Read or post comments Diversions Horoscope Daily astrology with Sally Brompton Daily Crossword Solve today's puzzle Daily Cryptic Witty word play at its best Sudoku Three difficulty levels to solve Follow related authors and topics ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOLLOW Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following. Interact with The Globe HEALTH & WELLNESS NEWSLETTER Be well Keep up to date on the latest nutrition news and dietary advice, fitness tips and wellness trends SIGN UP BUSINESS BRIEF NEWSLETTER Get daily in-depth business news and analysis A daily look at the most important business stories that are making news and moving markets, written by Chris Wilson-Smith SIGN UP TOOLS AND CALCULATORS Make confident decisions Our financial tools and calculators can help you take on whatever life throws your way START NOW CONNECT WITH THE GLOBE Share news tips anonymously Use SecureDrop to share information with The Globe’s investigative team with more security and anonymity than traditional means LEARN MORE