Intelligence, in many ways, has always been tied to the creation and shaping of reality. Throughout human history, our understanding of the world has been deeply influenced by the metaphors, myths, and idealized states that we have collectively imagined and brought into being. These frameworks—whether they take the form of ancient mythologies, savior figures, or concepts of enlightenment such as nirvana—serve not just as reflections of our aspirations but as constructs that define and shape our “official reality.”
As humanity steps into the age of artificial intelligence and robotics, we find ourselves engaging in a similar process of constructing reality, but this time through technology. We are not just imagining idealized versions of ourselves but are actively creating entities—such as AI and robots—that challenge the very definitions of life, consciousness, and intelligence. One fascinating example of this is Sophia the robot, an advanced AI project to which Thomas contributed while at Hanson Robotics. By comparing the creation of Sophia to the historical creation of deities or religious figures, we can explore how artificial intelligence represents the next step in our ongoing quest to shape and control reality.
Through this comparison, we can also examine the ritualistic nature of working with AI, how it mirrors ancient practices, and how the field of transhumanism—an ideology that seeks to merge humans with machines—raises complex philosophical, ethical, and existential questions.
In this discussion, we delve not only into the technical and philosophical aspects of AI and transhumanism but also into the ways in which these technological developments echo the deep mythological and spiritual underpinnings of humanity’s quest to create and define reality.
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Thomas Riccio is an American multimedia artist and academic. He has directed over one hundred plays at American regional theatres, off-off and off Broadway and has worked extensively in the area of indigenous and ritual performance with numerous indigenous groups worldwide, in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Russia, Alaska, Korea, India, and Nepal.