Religion among Robots: An If/When of Future Machine Intelligence

Abstract

The study of religion arose as a tool of empire but also stands as a possible counterpoint to that colonizing project should technological progress ever lead to artificial general intelligence (AGI) in a machine. Not only will the existence of religion constitute a defining element in identifying AGI, but the lessons gleaned from analyzing religion among human communities can help guide the acceptance of machines into what Isaac Asimov called a C-Fe society, a community of human beings and intelligent machines. Drawing on the history of religion and twenty-first century inquiries into the religious implications of artificial intelligence, this article makes two fundamental contributions. First, it argues for the relevance, if not primacy, of religion in the recognition of AGI. Second, it reflects upon the need for humanity to overcome the self-serving techniques of imperial domination to welcome AGI, should such sophisticated technology arise.