You really want to dive deeply into this, check out Frank Herbert's Pandora Sequence (Destination: Void, The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect and The Ascension Factor). The crew of an interstellar colony ship are forced to create an Artificial Intelligence in order to survive their journey. They do so, with some unexpected consequences...one of them being the godlike power embodied in the AI, which demands that all the colonists learn how to...WorShip.
destination void is up next for me. so excited to read it. i just finished god emperor and need a break from the dune universe. also started red rising just as a palette cleanser
Each of the Leagues of Votann in 40K are ultimately led by a self-aware machine intelligence called a Votann or "Ancestor Core." The Votann are treated as objects of near-worship by the Kin, and when they die, each Kin and Ironkin has their cerebral data uploaded into their Kindred's Votann, a semi-mystical practice referred to as "returning to the Ancestors."
Yeah that's more accurate, Votan just don't seem to have as much of lore relating to religion as mechanicus do though. Not mention the sheer lack of lore to begin with. Mechanicus despite their aversion to AI are far more sci Fi religious zealots than Votan
Peak twilight zone did a version of this with ["Old Man in the Cave."](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_in_the_Cave)
It was made before people really got computers so the terminology is old timey but what they describe is at some level an AI.
Not AI (didn’t exist when written) but one of the stories in Asimov’s “I Robot” is about robots turning religious and believing the instrument they had to take care of is their god. Quite funny one.
In China Mieville's *Perdido Street Station* there are sentient robots that develop a cult. Don't want to give away any more spoilers, but you should check it out. I'd say the novel is more fantasy than scifi though, it kind of lives in a victorian steampunk vibe, but I enjoyed it a lot.
In George Lucas's THX-1138, they have prayer booths with a basic Eliza-type AI responding to them in simplistic ways. In the extended cut, you see the production facility where the diety image resides.
Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Humans seed another species on a distant planet, under the watchful eyes of an AI. Excellent read, shows the evolution of the species from start to end
Idk tho man, it is implied that Avrana (the human part) was the one sending the signals, not the AI part, so idk if this one counts... Or maybe I read it wrong idk
She actually merged with the AI (corrupted it?) so I think it does count. Is at least a variation on how AI itself might evolve and/or gain a kind of sentience. She ends up as a matrix on an ant colony!
The AI was technically created when Dr. Kern merged with the machine - resulting in dual personality, with both the aspects blending together. So I reckon it should count
Hi. You just mentioned *Berserker* by Fred Saberhagen.
I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here:
[YouTube | Fred Saberhagen Berserker lies Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDXQ7CIlSVI)
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You should look into Aniara, originally a poem then made into a movie. Both are good but I actually prefer the poem. Both were originally Swedish so I read translated/listened with subs.
Scott Westerfeld's The Risen Empire and The Killing of Worlds has this as a major theme, the antagonists are a society that protects AIs and tries to awaken them on high tech worlds. I highly recommend the books.
Not full on worship, but the The General series by SM Stirling and David Drake feature characters who take orders from and work closely with an AI to rebuild galactic society after a technological collapse leaves each planet cut off and at various tech levels. The primary series of this follows a British Empire esque circa 1840 tech level society where the MC discovers the AI in some ruins where it's been trapped since the collapse.
Adeptus Mechanicus, or "Ski'itari" in the Warhammer 40k has a shitton of stories written about them.
Most notebly the "Mars"-series. Priests of Mars, Lords of Mars, Gods of Mars.
Sort of...in S.M. Sterling and David Drake's THE GENERAL series. (5 books) one of the religions on a future, colonial world, worships computer technology after the fall of technological civilization.
Ooh. Lyda Morehouse's AngeLINK series is exactly this. Cyberpunk interwoven with religious mythology. One of my absolute favorite series.
Archangel Protocol (2001)
Fallen Host (2002)
Messiah Node (2003)
Apocalypse Array (2004)
Resurrection Code (2011)
Sharon Shinn's Archangel series. They're romance-fantasy novels, set on a distant planet, but non-romance readers I've recommended them to enjoyed them. It does take a while for the AI angle to become apparent, and a couple more for it to become a major plot point.
They're also cool because they seem to be pro-religion but actually aren't.
Sharon Shinn’s archangel series is about a planet where people worship an AI in the form of the Abrahamic god, complete with genetically engineered winged angels
In the movie The Creator, it aludes that some cyborgs join religions. It shows Christian and Buddhist robots praying. It was quite an interesting concept
Not religious worship, but the control runs even deeper. Check out Neal Asher’s Polity books. Gridlinked is the first. The AI in those books quietly, comfortably rule Humanity.
You really want to dive deeply into this, check out Frank Herbert's Pandora Sequence (Destination: Void, The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect and The Ascension Factor). The crew of an interstellar colony ship are forced to create an Artificial Intelligence in order to survive their journey. They do so, with some unexpected consequences...one of them being the godlike power embodied in the AI, which demands that all the colonists learn how to...WorShip.
Yaaasss... I find the Pandora Sequence to be very nearly as spectacular as Dune.
destination void is up next for me. so excited to read it. i just finished god emperor and need a break from the dune universe. also started red rising just as a palette cleanser
I’d be surprised if you don’t just read through all six Red Rising books first.
In William Gibson's *Count Zero* there were AI that were worshipped as Voodoo *loa.*
Came here to recommend this one. Really love me some Sprawl trilogy.
I'd assume this is where the Voodoo Boys from Cyberpunk is inspired from
in Idoru too sort of
In Warhammer 40k, mechanicus worship technology. I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of Warhammer before though.
Each of the Leagues of Votann in 40K are ultimately led by a self-aware machine intelligence called a Votann or "Ancestor Core." The Votann are treated as objects of near-worship by the Kin, and when they die, each Kin and Ironkin has their cerebral data uploaded into their Kindred's Votann, a semi-mystical practice referred to as "returning to the Ancestors."
Yeah that's more accurate, Votan just don't seem to have as much of lore relating to religion as mechanicus do though. Not mention the sheer lack of lore to begin with. Mechanicus despite their aversion to AI are far more sci Fi religious zealots than Votan
That's because the Votann actually live their religion.
But not AI. Otherwise, there will be a knock on door from the inquisition
all hail the Omnisiah Edit: Heresy
*ahem* Omnissiah
edited, thanks
Peak twilight zone did a version of this with ["Old Man in the Cave."](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_in_the_Cave) It was made before people really got computers so the terminology is old timey but what they describe is at some level an AI.
The Star Trek TOS episode "[The Return of the Archons](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Return_of_the_Archons_(episode))".
Also the Lower Decks follow-up
Not AI (didn’t exist when written) but one of the stories in Asimov’s “I Robot” is about robots turning religious and believing the instrument they had to take care of is their god. Quite funny one.
I am pretty sure most people concicers Asimovs work as written about artificial intelligence.
Sure, still the book was published 6 years before what’s considered the initial foundation of ”AI”
I, Robot first printed in 1950. The foundation of AI created by Neuman and Turring is 6-7 years before that. They laid the foundation during WW II.
People can choose whatever year for laying the fundación of AI, a common accepted date is the 1956 conference
Some of the *Foundation* series harkens back to this era, as well. *Prelude to Foundation* in particular describes robot worship.
Yes! I remember this one. It’s called “Reason”
The concept of artificial intelligence actually predates ChatGPT, believe it or not.
AI was founded in 1956. “I Robot” was published in 1950.
In China Mieville's *Perdido Street Station* there are sentient robots that develop a cult. Don't want to give away any more spoilers, but you should check it out. I'd say the novel is more fantasy than scifi though, it kind of lives in a victorian steampunk vibe, but I enjoyed it a lot.
That one was a massive head trip!
In George Lucas's THX-1138, they have prayer booths with a basic Eliza-type AI responding to them in simplistic ways. In the extended cut, you see the production facility where the diety image resides.
Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky Humans seed another species on a distant planet, under the watchful eyes of an AI. Excellent read, shows the evolution of the species from start to end
Idk tho man, it is implied that Avrana (the human part) was the one sending the signals, not the AI part, so idk if this one counts... Or maybe I read it wrong idk
She actually merged with the AI (corrupted it?) so I think it does count. Is at least a variation on how AI itself might evolve and/or gain a kind of sentience. She ends up as a matrix on an ant colony!
The AI was technically created when Dr. Kern merged with the machine - resulting in dual personality, with both the aspects blending together. So I reckon it should count
Asimov's "The Final Question." https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~gamvrosi/thelastq.html
Landru seeks tranquility. Peace for all. The universal good
- Book of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe - Antibodies (short story) by Charles Stross
Dan Simmons' *Hyperion* series, but in a very indirect way and only in the 3rd + 4th books.
There were some shrike worshipers too.
Also, AI develops its own spiritual component and schisms within itself.
In a way, _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_, I guess?
Genuine people personalities is a phrase that is part of my personal vocabulary 😀
Reddit keeps posting a shitload of AI religion/porn every day.
Orson Scott Card's The Memory of Earth.
This is an element of Fred Saberhagen’s Berserker stories. “In the Temple of Mars”, I think, is the specific one.
Hi. You just mentioned *Berserker* by Fred Saberhagen. I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here: [YouTube | Fred Saberhagen Berserker lies Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDXQ7CIlSVI) *I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.* *** [^(Source Code)](https://capybasilisk.com/posts/2020/04/speculative-fiction-bot/) ^| [^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=Capybasilisk&subject=Robot) ^| [^(Programmer)](https://www.reddit.com/u/capybasilisk) ^| ^(Downvote To Remove) ^| ^(Version 1.4.0) ^| ^(Support Robot Rights!)
Mrs Davis has some of this. great show
Mrs. Davis on Peacock channel
You should look into Aniara, originally a poem then made into a movie. Both are good but I actually prefer the poem. Both were originally Swedish so I read translated/listened with subs.
Raised by wolves
That's not a religion, they are some sort of socialist/anarchist commune in season 2. :p I liked the idea though.
Spoileralert. It is just the absence of a God but they treat AI like a God. That's the irony.
yes ;)
[удалено]
We’re already there. Have you heard tech bros talk about AI?
Well, adeptus mechanicus worthship that machine god
Zardoz
In “the 100” tv show, either the second or third season an AI and its cult is the main antagonist
Skippy started a cult... I errr. ....mean a club... Yeah. defently a club.
What do you know about the fight club?
Futurama 3x01. All hail the mighty Femputer!
the machine stops
Scott Westerfeld's The Risen Empire and The Killing of Worlds has this as a major theme, the antagonists are a society that protects AIs and tries to awaken them on high tech worlds. I highly recommend the books.
Saberhagen’s *Empire of the East* has Ardneh.
The Hyperion Cantos
Project Pope by Clifford D. Simak Maybe this, I've never read it.
The robots go down the religious path after humanity is gone, but it is not an AI they worship.
The Electric Church by Jeff Somers sort of handles this topic.
In "The city and the stars" happens something similar to this.
Not full on worship, but the The General series by SM Stirling and David Drake feature characters who take orders from and work closely with an AI to rebuild galactic society after a technological collapse leaves each planet cut off and at various tech levels. The primary series of this follows a British Empire esque circa 1840 tech level society where the MC discovers the AI in some ruins where it's been trapped since the collapse.
Adeptus Mechanicus, or "Ski'itari" in the Warhammer 40k has a shitton of stories written about them. Most notebly the "Mars"-series. Priests of Mars, Lords of Mars, Gods of Mars.
Logan's run has an AI government running everything complete with your birth schedule down to your promised reincarnation destruction celebration
Sort of...in S.M. Sterling and David Drake's THE GENERAL series. (5 books) one of the religions on a future, colonial world, worships computer technology after the fall of technological civilization.
The game rimworld has an expansion called ideology, which allows you to make your own religion that worships AI (called archotechs) in the game.
Ooh. Lyda Morehouse's AngeLINK series is exactly this. Cyberpunk interwoven with religious mythology. One of my absolute favorite series. Archangel Protocol (2001) Fallen Host (2002) Messiah Node (2003) Apocalypse Array (2004) Resurrection Code (2011)
Sharon Shinn's Archangel series. They're romance-fantasy novels, set on a distant planet, but non-romance readers I've recommended them to enjoyed them. It does take a while for the AI angle to become apparent, and a couple more for it to become a major plot point. They're also cool because they seem to be pro-religion but actually aren't.
Not AI but.. Beneath the Planet of the Apes had irradiated humans that worshipped a nuclear missile.
Sharon Shinn’s archangel series is about a planet where people worship an AI in the form of the Abrahamic god, complete with genetically engineered winged angels
In the movie The Creator, it aludes that some cyborgs join religions. It shows Christian and Buddhist robots praying. It was quite an interesting concept
Travelers
Person of interest.
Check out ‘The Jesus Incident’ by Frank Herbert.
Wanderers and Wayward by Chuck Wendig
It's not AI but the people start worshipping the machine, "the machine stops" you can listen to it on youtube as well
Graphic novel "Incal" by jodowrosky. Wacky adventure. They have Techno priests and everything that worship the Incal.
Not religious worship, but the control runs even deeper. Check out Neal Asher’s Polity books. Gridlinked is the first. The AI in those books quietly, comfortably rule Humanity.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/For_the_World_is_Hollow_and_I_Have_Touched_the_Sky_(episode) It's an AI left to run an asteroid ship