AI is Simply the Latest Manifestation of Materialism

Bruce Charlton has a recent piece on the subject of AI, something about which, I must confess, I know next to nothing. But I do know a little about computer technology which is the basis of AI, and I also have enough spiritual understanding to realise that AI is just another poisoned chalice, something that will suck us into its orbit because of its spurious attractions and the ease it offers to lazy minds. I am pretty lazy myself but at least I know it's a fault that, if indulged in, leads to inertia which is another form of death.

I was encouraged by Bruce's post to offer a short comment which ran as follows: "AI is simply the latest manifestation of materialism, latest and worst because it is the fullest denial so far of spirit. It is humanity rejecting the reality of soul and farming out its consciousness to the machine. This is the modern cult of death in its grimmest form to date because it is a renunciation of both individuality and freedom. Neither can exist in a computer and the more we embrace this technology the more we lose connection to what actually makes us human."

When will we learn that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should? But we will do it. Naturally there will be the usual round of fake debate in which we question the use of AI and wonder if the robots will take over the world and destroy humanity but we will go ahead and everyone will eagerly hop on board just as they did with computers and smart phones. The machine will have made further inroads into our consciousness and we will have separated ourselves even more from the reality of spirit. This is part of the ongoing descent into a world of pure quantity in which nothing exists that cannot be measured. Human creativity will be put in a box with its lid firmly fastened. We will be told that AI and creativity can run alongside each other but it doesn't work like that. You either acknowledge the reality of spirit in which case AI will be recognised as anti-spirit or you ignore it in which case you enter a world in which everything is counted, controlled, numbered and known. That is a form of death because it denies freedom which is life.