Religion Paradigm of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have recently been applied in many fields. In many sectors, such as medicine, transportation, automotive, education, construction, furniture, and e-commerce, robotic experiments with AI are being carried out. These new developments in AI robot technologies, such as autonomous driving vehicles, robotic surgeries, smart education, home, and transportation, indicate that the need for a human labor force will be greatly reduced in the future. The issue of how AI robots, which are developed instead of humans in many jobs and processes to facilitate individual and social life, will continue to evolve and spur many discussions. Among these debates, our study focuses on the religious paradigm of AI. This study aims to understand, make sense of, and analyze the problem of the AI religion paradigm. In this context, various dimensions, such as AI’s conception of God, its religious foundations, how it shapes religious life, and whether it has an apocalyptic background that could bring about the end of humanity, are examined. In addition, the study discusses whether AI will bring good or evil to humanity in the religious dimension, what it promises or contains in the religious sense, and its opportunities, risks, or threats. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the gap in the relevant literature on the paradigms of AI and religion. In this respect, the originality of the study and its contribution to the literature is important. This study adopts a qualitative method and in-depth analysis of documents as a task.

Keywords

• Sociology of religion
• artificial intelligence
• religion
• society
• technology

References

1. Acar, Ali Kemal. “Din ve Teknoloji Etkileşiminde Yapay Zeka ve Transhümanizm’e Yaklaşımlar”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 10/1 (June 2023), 380-406. https://doi.org/10.17859/pauifd.1267034
2. Andriansyah, Yuli. “The Current Rise of Artificial Intelligence and Religious Studies: Some Reflections Based on ChatGPT”. Millah: Journal of Religious Studies 22/1 (February 2023), ix-xviii. https://doi.org/10.20885/millah.vol22.iss1.editorial
3. Bal, Samet Yahya - Sarıkaya, Berat. “Kelami Açıdan İnsan Fıtratı ve Bilinci Bağlamında Yapay Zekâ ve Transhümanizm”. Mavi Atlas 10/2 (October 2022), 404-418. https://doi.org/10.18795/gumusmaviatlas.1119290
4. Berk, Mustafa Evren. “Dijital Çağın Yeni Tehlikesi Deepfake”. OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi 16/28 (August 2020), 1508-1523. https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.683819
5. Büyükbingöl, Abdulkadir - Maral, Taylan. “A Criticism of Transhumanism from the Society 5.0 Perspective in the Context of Social Values”. Ilahiyat Studies 14/1 (July 2023), 169-201. https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1280764
6. Can, Seyithan. “Critique of Transhumanism’s Concept of Humans from the Perspective of Islamic Thought”. Ilahiyat Studies 14/1 (July 2023), 107-131. https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1274636
7. Coghill, George M. “Artificial Intelligence (and Christianity): Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?”. Studies in Christian Ethics 36/3 (May 2023), 604-619. https://doi.org/10.1177/09539468231169462
8. Çevik, Mustafa. “Will It Be Possible for Artificial Intelligence Robots to Acquire Free Will and Believe in God?”. Beytulhikme 7/2 (December 2017), 75-87. https://doi.org/10.18491/beytulhikme.375781

9. Dağ, Ahmet. “Dijitalleşme-Yapay Zekâ-Transhümanizm Bağlamında Din ve Dindar’a Dair”. Yapay Zeka Transhümanizm ve Din. Ed. Muhammed Kızılgeçit et al. 175-185. Erzurum: Atatürk Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2022.
10. Dağ, Ahmet. “Freedom as an Issue in the Context of Transhumanism and Artificial Intelligence, Digitalization, and Robotics (AIDR)”. Ilahiyat Studies 14/1 (July 2023), 51-84. https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1261876
11. de Garis, Hugo. The Artilect War: Cosmists vs. Terrans: A Bitter Controversy Considering Whether Humanity Should Build Godlike Massively Intelligent Machines. Palm Springs, California: ETC Publications, 2005.
12. Dhaouadi, Mahmoud. “An Exploration into the Nature of the Making of Human and Artifcial Intelligence and the Qur’anic Persepctive”. American Journal of Islam and Society 9/4 (January 1992), 465-481. https://doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v9i4.2534
13. Doko, Enis. “Islamic Classical Theism and the Prospect of Strong Artificial Intelligence”. Ilahiyat Studies 14/1 (July 2023). 85-105. https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1283109
14. Dorobantu, Marius. “Artificial Intelligence and Religion: Recent Advances and Future Directions”. Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science 57/4 (December 2022), 984-999. https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12718
15. DP, DergiPark Akademik. Accessed September 3, 2023.
16. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/search?q=%22yapay+zeka+ve+din%22§ion=articles
17. Foerst, Anne. “Cog, a Humanoid Robot, and the Question of the Image of God”. Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science 33/1 (March 1998), 91-111. https://doi.org/10.1111/0591-2385.1291998129
18. Foerst, Anne. God in the Machine: What Robots Teach Us about Humanity and God. New York: Dutton, 2004.
19. Geraci, Robert M. “Apocalyptic AI: Religion and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence”. Journal of the American Academy of Religion 76/1 (March 2008), 138-166. https://doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/lfm101
20. Geraci, Robert M. “Robot and the Sacred in Science and Science Fiction: Theological Implications of Artificial Intelligence”. Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science 42/4 (December 2007), 961-980. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2007.00883.x
21. Geraci, Robert M. “Spiritual Robots: Religion and Our Scientific View of the Natural World”. Theology and Science 4/3 (November 2006), 229-246. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700600952993
22. Geraci, Robert M. “The Popular Appeal of Apocalyptic AI”. Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science 45/4 (December 2010), 1003-1020. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2010.01146.x
23. Geraci, Robert M. Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
24. Görgülü, Ülfet - Kesgin, Sena. “Yapay Zekâ Robotlara Ahlâkî ve Hukukî Statü Tanınması Problematiği – İslam Ahlâkı ve Hukuku Açısından Bir Değerlendirme”. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 20 (December 2021), 37-65. https://doi.org/10.32950/rteuifd.1010399
25. Han, Byung-Chul. The Palliative Society. Translated by Translated by Daniel Steuer. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2021.
26. Hornyak, Timothy N. Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots. New York: Kodansha International, 2006.
27. Kafalı, Hasan. “Yapay Zekâ, Toplum ve Dinin Geleceği”. Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 46 (June 2019), 145-172. https://doi.org/10.17120/omuifd.470376
28. Kartal Soysal, Esra. “The Production of Human Reproduction: Impacts of Transhumanism’s Inconsistent Reproductive Policy on Classical Ethical Principles”. Ilahiyat Studies 14/1 (July 2023), 9-50. https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1199398
29. Kurzweil, Ray. “Expect Exponential Progress”. The Christian Science Monitor. Accessed September 3, 2023. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0418/p09s01-coop.html
30. Kurzweil, Ray. “The Coming Merging of Mind and Machine”. Scientific American. Accessed September 3, 2023. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/merging-of-mind-and-machine/
31. Kurzweil, Ray. The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence. New York: Viking, 1999.
32. Kurzweil, Ray. The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. New York: Viking, 2005.
33. Moravec, Hans. “Today’s Computers, Intelligent Machines, and Our Future”. Analog 99/2 (February 1979), 59-84.
34. Moravec, Hans. Mind Children: The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988.
35. Moravec, Hans. Robot: Mere Machine to Transcendent Mind. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
36. Mori, Masahiro. The Buddha in the Robot: A Robot Engineer’s Thoughts on Science and Religion. Translated by Charles S. Terry. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Co., 1981.
37. Otto, Rudolf. The Idea of the Holy. Translated by John W. Harvey. London: Oxford University Press, 1958.
38. Promta, Somparn - Himma, Kenneth Einar. “Artificial Intelligence in Buddhist Perspective”. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society 6/2 (June 2008), 172-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/14779960810888374
39. Reader, Ian - Tanabe, George J. Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1991.
40. Reed, Randall. “A.I. in Religion, A.I. for Religion, A.I. and Religion: Towards a Theory of Religious Studies and Artificial Intelligence”. Religions 12/6 (May 2021), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12060401
41. Singler, Beth. “The AI Creation Meme: A Case Study of the New Visibility of Religion in Artificial Intelligence Discourse”. Religions 11/5 (May 2020), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11050253
42. Singler, Beth. “‘Blessed by the Algorithm’: Theistic Conceptions of Artificial Intelligence in Online Discourse”. AI and Society 35/4 (April 2020), 945-955. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-020-00968-2
43. Yamaç, Muhammed. “Metaverse'te Dinî ve Toplumsal Tezahürler”, Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi 23/1 (March 2023), 29-57. https://doi.org/10.33415/daad.1210422
44. Yamaç, Muhammed. “Transhümanizm Bağlamında Siborgist İnsan Tasavvuru ve Din”. Yapay Zekâ, Transhümanizm, Posthümanizm ve Din Uluslararası Sempozyumu Bildiri Özet ve Tam Metin Kitabı. Ed. Muhammed Kızılgeçit et al. Erzurum: Atatürk Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2021.
45. Yeşilyurt, Büşra - Yeşilyurt, Muhammet. “Dini Transhümanizmin Bir Örneği Olarak Terasem Trans-Dini”. Mîzânü’l- Hak: İslami İlimler Dergisi 15 (December 2022), 555-574. https://doi.org/10.47502/mizan.1184892
46. Yeşilyurt, Muhammet. “Hıristiyan Transhümanizmi: Hıristiyanlığın Tekno-Eskatolojik Yeni Yorumu”. Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi 21/2 (September 2021), 815-845. https://doi.org/10.33415/Daad.938435
47. Yeşilyurt, Muhammet. “Hıristiyanlığın ‘Imago Dei’ Öğretisinin Transhümanizmle Uzlaştırılmasının İmkânı”. İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi 9/5 (December 2020), 3624-3650.
48. Yılmaz, Sait. “The New Materialism and Post-Humanist Studies”. Ilahiyat Studies 14/1 (July 2023), 203-232. https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1284715.