“Blessed by the algorithm”

Theistic conceptions of artificial intelligence in online discourse

Bibliographic Data

ID20397168
AuthorsBeth Singler (0000-0001-9471-0924, University of Cambridge, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume35
Issue4
Pages945-955
Publication date2020-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAI & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0951-5666 • E-ISSN: 1435-5655
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s00146-020-00968-2
PMID32355422
OpenAlexW3023950024
LanguageEN
Citations received48
References cited16

“My first long haul flight that didn’t fill up and an empty row for me. I have been blessed by the algorithm ”. The phrase ‘blessed by the algorithm’ expresses the feeling of having been fortunate in what appears on your feed on various social media platforms, or in the success or virality of your content as a creator, or in what gig economy jobs you are offered. However, we can also place it within wider public discourse employing theistic conceptions of AI. Building on anthropological fieldwork into the ‘entanglements of AI and Religion’ (Singler 2017a), this article will explore how ‘blessed by the algorithm’ tweets are indicative of the impact of theistic AI narratives: modes of thinking about AI in an implicitly religious way. This thinking also represents continuities that push back against the secularisation thesis and other grand narratives of disenchantment that claim secularity occurs because of technological and intellectual progress. This article will also explore new religious movements, where theistic conceptions of AI entangle technological aspirations with religious ones

Atheism · Disenchantment · Epistemology · Linguistics · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Theism · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Law · Philosophy · Sharing Economy and Platforms

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