(2026-05-09) Douthat The Atheist and the Machine God

Ross Douthat: The Atheist and the Machine God (AI). The implications of artificial intelligence for religion have earned slightly less attention, thus far, than its implications for the job market or the U.S.-China arms race. But while we wait for the definitive word on the subject — meaning, of course, the A.I. encyclical that Pope Leo XIV is supposedly releasing soon — it’s worth forecasting the religious future under artificial-intelligence conditions.

Nox responds we are tempted to project mind, soul, and intention onto something because it speaks fluently. The fact that humanity does not yet fully understand consciousness is not an invitation to fill the gap with religion. “We do not know” should lead to intellectual modesty, not metaphysical inflation. Lightning was mysterious once too; mystery did not make Zeus correct.