AI Divine, AI Gods And Phantoms: BAPS Monk's Warning At NDTV World Summit

Artificial intelligence (AI) could become more than an assistant or adviser, eventually turning into a companion that people trust over human beings and even a source of artificial spiritual experiences, BAPS monk Brahmavihari Swami warned at the NDTV World Summit. Speaking during a session on whether AI could kill humanity, Brahmavihari Swami said people had already begun surrendering their judgement to the technology, often trusting it more than those around them.

"How many times you are sitting in a car, even if your wife is sitting next to you, you still trust Google Maps more than her way of finding the way?" he asked.

He described the growing role of AI in four stages: First as an assistant that handles small tasks, then as an agent that carries out instructions, followed by an adviser whose recommendations people follow, and finally as a companion that could replace human relationships.

"The problem begins when it becomes your adviser, when you listen to AI more than human beings," he said.

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His greatest concern, however, was that AI could assume a quasi-divine role in people's lives.

"I also have another fear: That AI might just become 'AI Divine'. There's no God in any religion that talks back to you instantly. You pray and then you wait for things to happen, then you feel the answers of God spiritually," he said, describing how AI could create the impression of an ever-present source of divine guidance.

He warned that the technology could be used to create what he called "phantom Gods" and "phantom ghosts", potentially giving people artificial spiritual experiences that they might mistake for something real.

"AI will create a system to rule over the world; it may even create phantom Gods and phantom ghosts. It can because that's the system," he said.

"The Conflict Could Be Between Super Humans And Sub-Humans"

Asked whether AI could kill or replace humanity, Brahmavihari Swami said this was possible if people failed to exercise caution.

He argued that the danger might not take the form of a conventional war between humans and machines. Instead, it could create a divide between people who embrace AI without question and those who choose to retain greater independence from it.

"I think it's not going to be a war between humans and AI, it is perhaps going to be a conflict between super humans and sub-humans," he said.

He described "super humans" as those who become AI-powered, while "sub-humans" would be those who submit to the technology.