Mad monk?

Early human communities faced all kinds of terrors. DroughtA time when there is not enough water and the ground is very dry. struck, harvests failed. BanditsA robber or outlaw. ravaged their lands.

They responded to these nightmares by giving the world a kind of will. Disasters were the work of powerful gods, who could be bought off with sacrifices. Fate was now within human control.

Today we face new terrors. But one man thinks the answer is the same as it was 12,000 years ago.

Soryu Forall is a BuddhistSomeone who follows the teachings of Buddha, an ancient spiritual teacher from India. monk. He thinks the single biggest danger we face today comes from AI, which he fears will take over the world. The solution, he says, is to turn AI into a god.

AI, Forall and his supporters say, is now certain to become more intelligent and more powerful than human beings. This means we will be dependent on its capricesSudden and unexpected changes of mood..

This future cannot be avoided. However, we can ensure that AI will make good choices that benefit humanity, instead of using us for its own interests. Forall thinks we can do this by introducing AI to the principles of Buddhism. 

By teaching it these ideas, we could ensure that AI will think in enlightened terms and make decisions that are advantageous for everyone.

Human beings are on the brink of destroying the planet. Animal populations have dropped by 68% worldwide since 1970 and extinctions have shot up.¹ Forall says if an enlightened, godlike AI took over it could improve things for all life.

But critics think Forall is just serving the interests of Big Tech.

Tech companies, they say, love to talk about AI as a godlike entity, beyond human control or even comprehension, because if people believe they cannot control AI they will not even try.

These companies, they claim, are less interested in building an AI god than in turning themselves into its priests. Then they can use their techno-deityA god or goddess. to control us.

Yes: An AI takeover is now inevitable. The only thing we can do is teach it to rule fairly. As ancient humans did, we will construct a god to ensure the world works in the favour of those who act with justice.

No: Talking up the power of AI is only good for tech companies that want to avoid regulation on their dangerous products. It will only take over if we decide to turn it into a god.

Or... Humans created gods not to control their lives but to absolve themselves of their own actions. Now we want to do the same with AI: create a new power that we can blame for our mistakes.