cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/46082903
In fairness, the argument that AI is a cult/false religion/false god has been made many times before, however I believe that AI and the AI community most closely aligns with a cult, and here’s why:
Indoctrination techniques:
Generally, techniques that indoctrinate users into the cult tend to follow similar trends, which are notable in many of the AI models having similar effects on the users who subsequently become frequent users of the technology. Broken down, I’d say it’s something like this:
-Innocuous beginnings: Cults are notorious for beginning the indoctrination process with something simple and seemingly harmless on the surface (I.e. conferences, videos, films, games, etc.) these are all real techniques that various cults have used in the past, to somewhat success. Likewise, AI chatbots, image and video generators present just this: an invitation to engage with something fun and seemingly harmless, something that engages the audience and draws their attention.
-Love bombing: Perhaps the most notorious hook of cults is love bombing — giving heaps of praise and complements to the joining members. Likewise, AI chatbots constantly tell you how good your point is or how you’re always on the right track (“you’ve hit the nail on the head”, “that is an amazing point” are but a few I have read of Gemini) This is undoubtedly a form of love bombing.
-Promise of more: Cults often work by enticing their audience with something good, but promising something great (something better) later. Likewise, AI tech companies are always promising more, more, more if you subscribe/follow their work. What better reward for AI users can there be but the promise of bigger and better AI? This is exactly how both cults and AI operate.
Beyond the indoctrination similarities, there are also many, many peripheral similarities (by which I mean subtle, not less important similarities) which include:
-reach and scope: historical cults have often managed to expand their reach across multiple countries around the world. Need I explain how this is similar to the reach and scope of AI?
-withholding/hiding information
-leaders who turn out to be crooks/criminals
-leaders who amass fortunes
And many more.
What do you think? Are the similarities superficial, or could AI actually be a worldwide cult hidden in plain sight?
I think, as a dedicated LLM hater, that calling AI a cult is overstating the case. But I will also point to the fact that some of the upper level drivers like Elon Musk are 100% motivated by Roko’s Basilisk, so.
That’s a fair stance. Certainly there are two sides to this debate
Roko has a lot to answer for. These cretins are destroying the planet, and probably our entire species, because they’re afraid of a philosophical thought experiment. I wonder if that had never been written, or popularised we might be having an actual golden age of technology.
Roko’s Basilisk is the stupidest bullshit I’ve ever seen anyone take seriously to outside of conservative Evangelical Christianity or other literal religious cults. It’s just Pascal’s wager for people who think they’re too smart for Pascal’s wager. Why in tf would an artificial superintelligence bother constructing a simulated hell for humans who didn’t contribute to its existence. Does this hypothetical ASI think it can influence the past by acting in the present? I immediately disregard every opinion someone has if they admit to taking Roko’s Basilisk seriously.
Exactly. If a future superintelligence wants to create a copy of me to torture, well I suppose it can do that. But that entity it creates will not be me, but a lossy copy of me. I will be long dead and in the ground.
If a future superintelligence wants to create innocent sentient beings just to torture them, well that’s on the AI. It can be responsible for its own sins. But it has nothing to do with me.
Stupid people taking that thing seriously is not fault of its creator.