The church of AI
Delusion of deity
It’s 2024, and it seems that AI has achieved a god-like status. Every Sunday (and every other day), AI evangelists on Twitter X preach that AI is great, that AI is good. When we’re lost, we turn to chatbots for answers. Even the intricate arrangements of transistors in processors powering the AI revolution bear a striking resemblance to houses of worship as if they were setting the stage for the new religion.
AGI itself will descend next year, some AIvangelists1 say. Watch the video below, in which Elon Musk unleashes his erratic stream of consciousness at thousands of awe-struck followers at a conference. He claims that AGI will make goods and services available to anyone for free. A quick Google search shows an almost creepy alignment (no pun here) of what Musk says with 2 Corinthians 9:8 (a quote from The Bible) “And AI is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (Yes, I changed “God” for “AI”; there’s no mention of AI in the Bible, as far as I am aware.) I have no doubt that other religions’ texts contain quotes that are just as reused by such AIvangelists.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am far from an AI luddite. I believe in the technology's potential to make our world better. AI has been transformational in countless areas of our lives and work, so there’s some justification for the hype. But AI has also already contributed to a lot of evil (that’s for another post). And this means we need to turn on our BS detectors when watching such videos.
It’s neither a place to do it nor my intent to influence your religious beliefs. But it is my role to warn you against false prophets and the delusion of the deity of AI. It’s also my role to stress that, most likely, the future with AI will neither be utopian nor dystopian. In all likelihood, the future generation will consider its impact as… boring. Bear with me.
Make AI Boring Again
Do you gasp with excitement when you turn on the light in the evening? When was the last time you marvelled at the magic of a washing machine? Perhaps you would, 150 years ago, around the time they were invented.
The late Hans Rosling, author of Factfulness (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, would read again), in one of his many TED Talks, tells a story of his mother and grandmother using a washing machine for the first time:
I was only four years old when I saw my mother load a washing machine for the very first time in her life. That was a great day for my mother. My mother and father had been saving money for years to be able to buy that machine, and the first day it was going to be used, even Grandma was invited to see the machine.
It was magical. And being able to interact with it was considered a privilege:
My mother carefully opened the door, and she loaded the laundry into the machine, like this. And then, when she closed the door, Grandma said, "No, no, no, no! Let me! Let me push the button!"
The miracle had to be witnessed in its entirety:
And Grandma pushed the button, and she said, "Oh, fantastic! I want to see this! Give me a chair! Give me a chair! I want to see it," and she sat down in front of the machine, and she watched the entire washing program.
You can watch Rosling’s talk here.
I still remember how, in awe, I used to listen to two computer modems communicating every evening for at least a few years. What might sound like noise to you was music to my ears, and I could easily tell—just by listening to it—whether the connection was any good and at what speed the modems would finally connect. Every evening, I typed in secret spells (such as ATZ; ATD0202122;) to make them speak. The weird skills you develop as a teenager.
But now both washing machines and dial-up modems are boring, aren’t they? Perhaps being boring is a sign of maturity in the tech world.
Generative AI is the new washing machine
Almost a year and a half after ChatGPT launched, my LinkedIn and Twitter feeds are still full of people who, like Rosling’s mother and grandmother, sit in awe in front of generative AI tools, and who preach constantly. It’s not inherently bad: we need to increase AI literacy, and sharing examples that work—or don’t—is helpful. As long as there’s no hype or making things up, I believe we should all be sharing our skills. But over time, as the majority of people learn how to work with AI (just like the majority of us know now how to work with washing machines), these AI sermons will get quieter. How many of your Facebook friends excitedly share how great their washing (or how bad) their washing machine is?
In short, when AI starts to get a bit boring, that’s a good sign.
(Side note: I invite you to step into my mind: watch one of my favourite demoscene works, from 1996, called “Washing Machine”—perhaps an inspiration for one of the themes of this post.)
OK, so what should we do?
AI used to be a bit more boring. We had a couple of AI winters already, during which the hype cooled down for various reasons. I don’t think a mass-scale AI winter is coming soon, but perhaps we can start normalising at least some aspects of AI. How can we do it?
Keep cool-aid drinkers at bay: Do not amplify AIvangelists; be sceptical. Most are good at evangelising in general, but just as many have no idea what they’re talking about. Really.
Help make stories about AI boring: If you see practical uses of AI (including the mind-blowing ones), share them with others so that everyone is aware of them and they’re not “mind-blowing” anymore. This does not contradict the previous point; look for stories shared by those who use AI productively, not those shared by influencers.
Make AI boring yourself: Move away from “just” thinking and talking about AI, and start experimenting with AI. The best way to remove hot air from any topic is simply by experimenting with it. Don’t know where to start, and you’ve never played with AI before? Go to you.com and type anything into the box there. You’ve just started your adventure. Stay there until it gets a bit boring!
I just came up with this word. I don’t hate it, but I promise this is the only post in which I’ll use it (multiple times).