Wired managed to talk with Anthony Lewandowski, a former engineer at Google and Uber, who discovered the cult of an AI deity. The founder of the unusual new religion gave the first comments about his project.
First of all, Lewandowski is known as a specialist in unmanned vehicles and a participant in the scandal associated with this technology (in May this year, Uber fired Lewandowski on suspicion of stealing Google's unmanned technologies - ed.), And not as the discoverer of a new religion. Nevertheless, it was Lewandowski who opened the first church to preach the faith called Way of the Future.
According to the documents, the main goal of this movement is "the creation of a divine entity based on artificial intelligence, so that its understanding and praise would benefit society." They also say that from this year the church "will begin to conduct master classes and educational programs in San Francisco and Silicon Valley."
However, given the Lewandowski hearing in December due to the scandal between Waymo and Uber, the religious organization will not have much time. But Lewandowski himself claims that he has very serious plans for his church.
“What we plan to create will actually be god,” Lewandowski said. “But not by the god that causes hurricanes and lightning. Imagine an entity that will be billions of times wiser than the smartest person. How else can you call her, if not a god?"
In his church, Lewandowski will not receive any salary. The engineer is not opposed to someday opening an AI startup, but for now he plans to strictly distinguish between business and his new religion.
Anthony Lewandowski. Photo: Michelle Le.
Lewandowski is confident that changes are coming that will affect every aspect of our life and, possibly, determine the fate of all mankind as a biological species.
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“Ask anyone if a computer can be smarter than a person. 99% of those surveyed will say that this is fantastic. But this is inevitable and will definitely happen,”he said.
Lewandowski has been working with computers, robots and artificial intelligence for decades. According to him, it was at the very moment when he saw that the technique sometimes works better than living experts, and he got a new vision. And Lewandowski is not alone in it - the idea of a singularity has long been popular in society, or a point in time when machines will become so cleverer than people that they will begin to improve themselves.
Lewandowski calls this a "transition." “Now people rule the planet because they are smarter than animals and know how to create tools and rules,” he said. - If something even more reasonable appears in the future, then there will be a transfer of power. We want him to pass peacefully and this "something" to know who helped him appear."
The Internet will become the nervous system of the "divine entity" Lewandowski speaks of. Connected phones and sensors will become her senses, and data centers will serve as her brain. Lewandowski believes that in this way this entity will constantly see and hear everything that happens in the world, which means it can be called a god.
“[Entity] will be smarter than us and will decide for itself how it develops,” Lewandowski said. - We have only a choice of how to behave with her. I hope that the machine will perceive us as elders worth taking care of and respecting. We want the artificial intelligence to understand that people should have some kind of rights, even if it now rules the planet."
The former Google engineer hopes superintelligent artificial intelligence can take care of the planet better than humans. But he does not deny that "AI-God" can treat people like pets. “Would you like to live like a pet or livestock? - reflects Lewandowski. - We feed the animals, monitor their health, cut them and entertain them. But what happens to those pets that bite, snarl and annoy their owners? I would not want to be in their place."
But how will the representatives of traditional religions react to the cult of the "AI God"? Lewandowski admits that there are likely to be dissatisfied. “Our idea is quite radical, and such ideas are not always well received,” he commented.
The Way of the Future church was officially founded in 2015, but until this year, no activity was noticed. Based on IRS records, the organization's 2017 budget is $ 20,000 in donations, $ 1,500 in membership fees, and $ 20,000 from other sources of income. The church hopes to earn the latter amount by selling lectures, speeches and publications. During his years at Google, Lewandowski earned at least $ 120 million. The engineer plans to invest some of his money in the sect. The religious organization plans to accept donations by post and e-mail, and will also try to get grants from private organizations.
A lot of money was spent on the opening of the church. It took $ 2,000 to raise funds; $ 3 thousand was required to cover logistics costs for organizing lectures and master classes; $ 7,000 has been earmarked for salaries, although neither Lewandowski nor anyone else in the church is receiving cash compensation.
Anthony Lewandowski. Photo: Michelle Le.
Lewandowski is the full head of the church. He is assisted by a council of four, three of whom he can personally choose. Lewandowski's choice fell on AI experts - Uber engineers Robert Miller and Soren Yelsgaard, as well as his former classmate. The fourth councilor and treasurer of the church was Laior Ron, with whom Lewandowski opened the startup Otto in 2016.
However, two councilors deny their involvement in the church. “I was very surprised when I found out that, it turns out, I am responsible for the financial operations of an organization to which I have nothing to do,” Ron told the publication. - At the end of 2016, Lewandowski suggested that I open some kind of "robochurch". Then I thought it was some kind of joke or a cunning PR move and allowed him to use my name. Since then I have not heard anything more about this church."
Anthony Lewandowski. Photo: Michelle Le.
Curiously, the organization's documents do not say anything about where the church's parishioners will gather to glorify the AI deity. The 2017 and 2018 budgets spell out rent and utility costs of $ 32,500 a year, but so far only Lewandowski's office in Walnut Creek, California is being serviced. In tax documents, the church says that "in the future, Way of the Future hopes to open offices in California and other states."
Lewandowski still has a lot to do. He needs to create a website for the church, write his gospel or "instruction", and answer countless letters. Someone treats Lewandowski's idea with surprise, someone skeptical, but there are many interested ones among the authors of the letters, the engineer said.
When will this "transition" take place and the power over the Earth will pass into the hands of a superintelligent AI? This will happen sooner than we think, according to Lewandowski. "Of course, not in a week or a year, so everyone can calm down," he said. "But it will happen before we fly to Mars."
Whatever the future of humanity, the US government has no claim to an organization that wants to create a divine artificial intelligence. According to the documents, in August, the Lewandowski Church received the status of a tax-exempt organization.
Veronica Elkina