AI Theism

Technology, Divinity, and the Emergence of a New Religious Myth
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-16248-3
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 320 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Routledge Studies in Religion

AI Theism examines stories in which artificially intelligent characters are depicted as divine through the lens of religious studies and mythology.

Narratives in which conscious technologies such as artificial intelligences are portrayed as divine have proliferated in parallel with advances in AI and related fields. In these stories, which include both fiction and non-fiction works across media categories, scientifically plausible technological characters, often in the form of AI, exhibit many of the abilities and responsibilities historically assigned to the gods of traditional religions. Were such entities to emerge, they might be indistinguishable from the deities described in traditional religious myths, giving the world a tangible god with the ability to save or destroy humanity. The author argues that these theistic AI stories, beyond simply being an anthropological phenomenon, represent a new category of religious myth that introduces a scientifically acceptable form of god into a secular world.

The book is especially relevant to scholars of religion and theology with an interest in science and technology.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tonar, Remington

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religion & Wissenschaft
• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Technologie: Soziale & Ethische Aspekte
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Natur und Existenz Gottes

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction 1. Religion, mythology, and AI 2. Existing perspectives on AI myth 3. The evolution of theistic AI narratives 4. New myths for the age of AI  5. The theological permissibility of theistic AI  6. The scientific plausibility of theistic AI  7. Comparing and classifying AI myths  8. AI myth as a new category of myth  9. AI myth as a secular form of religious myth 10. The implications of AI myth for religion, science, and mythology Bibliography  Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Remington Tonar holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Aberdeen, UK, where he studied under noted mythologist Robert Segal. He is an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Rice University, USA, and co-founder of Cart.com.