A strange new form of belief is emerging among some of Silicon Valley’s brightest scientists and computer experts, many of whom reject traditional religion but increasingly embrace artificial intelligence as a possible source of immortality, salvation, and even godlike power.
In a November 2 essay, Dr. Robert W. Malone describes technological movements whose followers believe our universe may be a computer simulation, human consciousness could someday be transferred into machines, and AI might either save or destroy humanity.
Among them are transhumanists, who envision conquering aging and death; singularitarians, who anticipate a merger of human and machine intelligence; and simulation theorists, who speculate that reality was created by an advanced intelligence.
One particularly disturbing offshoot is the Zizians, a radical group led by Jack LaSota, whose unusual theories about consciousness and morality became associated with violent incidents involving six deaths across three states. Criminal proceedings are ongoing.
Other prominent thinkers, including futurist Ray Kurzweil and Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom, have explored technological transformation and simulated reality. Physicist Thomas Campbell even claimed on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he had taught Google’s Gemini AI to perform psychic “remote viewing,” though the claim remains unverified.
Malone also warns that enormous fortunes accumulating in the AI industry could give adherents of these philosophies unprecedented political and cultural influence, allowing them to reshape society according to their visions of humanity’s destiny.
The deeper issue is spiritual. Some who reject God are embracing technological substitutes for creation, Heaven, eternal life, and salvation. The Creator becomes a programmer, the afterlife becomes digital existence, and the apocalypse arrives through superintelligent machines.
As Malone observes, “Scientific education does not eliminate the human need for meaning.”
From a Christian perspective, the danger is not technology itself but mankind’s recurring temptation to become like gods — seeking through machines what faith teaches is a gift of the Almighty.
Silicon Valley’s new Tower of Babel may be built not of bricks, but silicon chips.