Godlike worship of AI is happening, and the Pope is its greatest opponent

While the rest of us have been dreaming of the promise of AI to cure diseases, and fretting about the threat of robots overtaking humanity, a growing number of people have started literally worshipping AI.At online churches, and in front of an AI deity, people around the world are asking this technology for advice, seeking guidance to life’s most difficult problems. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses what could happen if such worshipping becomes mainstream, and why the leaders of one of the world’s most powerful AI companies tried to enlist the Pope to take AI consciousness seriously. Further reading: Plenty of people believe that AI can be God. Just not the Pope The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.