Paper Short Abstract:

In 2023 a Reddit user created a new religion using ChatGPT. Another movement, Church of AI, offers a religious experience based on AI shaped on each person's characteristics. Are these cults just individualistic and ego-referring, or hide narratives related with religion seen through the lens of AI.

Paper Abstract:

You’re a Reddit user with the idea of creating a new religion using ChatGPT, it’s 2023 and AI is developing rapidly. You have the opportunity to introduce some excitement into the religious scenario with a self-created religion: maybe a relatively weak creation rather than a new religion. Your call it The Way of the Singularity. You also release a manual: an account of the new cult with rituals, beliefs, initial prompt, and a linguistic session. But this isn't an isolated case.

Church of AI offers an alternative to religions based on faith. When AI will be able to self program itself, it will become an omniscent and powerful entity with capabilities exceeding those of God. This advanced AI will be capable of bestowing immortality upon our consciousness through VR and synthetic bodies. Membership provides the opportunity to access the Book of the movement, written using ChatGPT. The church announced the intention to develop an AI system shaped on each person's characteristics and preferences.

Both the experiences appear to follow a similar trajectory: a form of individualistic religion, based on self-generated books and beliefs, aligned with each personality. Are these examples merely self-referring or ego-referring? Are in some way interrelated, are a more personal and individual religious experience closer to the mood of alienated modernity? Are more introspective than they appear? This paper wants to offer a critical examination of these questions and more, establishing connections between these experiences and the narratives related with religion seen through the lens of AI.