AGI, THE NEW RAPTURE

Faith Among Tech Elites

Most people think of the Rapture as a religious event, an end of the world kind of thinking, when only the truly faithful are taken to heaven and the rest are left behind to rot in hell, I guess. But what if, for some of today’s most powerful minds, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is the real version of that moment?

This might sound far-fetched, but take a closer look at the language and beliefs of tech leaders like Sam Altman (OpenAI), Ilya Sutskever, and billionaire investors like Peter Thiel. Even if they don’t say it out loud, their behavior and vision suggest that they may see AGI not just as a tool, but as a world-changing force; something almost spiritual.

There’s even a term for this idea: “The Rapture of the Nerds.” It’s the belief that once AGI arrives, everything will change. Suffering could end. Death might be overcome. Humans may merge with machines or become irrelevant. Some will rise. Others will fall. Sound familiar? Any movies you know?

Sutskever once said AGI could be “godlike.” Altman compares its importance to fire or electricity, but in private, many insiders talk about AGI like it’s a messiah - a force that could “save” humanity if we get it right, or doom us if we get it wrong. He did say it would probably kill us.

Then there’s Peter Thiel; a Christian and a tech investor, who believes in both God and radical tech. He doesn’t call AGI the Rapture, but he funds ideas that push the boundaries of life and death. In his world, faith and futuristic power go hand in hand.

Even the way people talk about AI safety sounds religious:

“Alignment” = moral purity

“Unaligned AI” = a fall from grace

“Existential risk” = damnation

“Singularity” = salvation or apocalypse

It’s as if a small group of thinkers has replaced God with AGI, and are quietly building their version of Judgment Day. But check this out: they get to decide who’s saved and who’s left behind. It’s a vision driven not by democracy, but by power, funding, and a deep, many a time hidden, belief in a higher intelligence.

In the end, maybe the real question isn’t whether the Rapture is coming.

Maybe it’s: Who’s writing the new bible, and who’s building our new God(s)?

Thanks for reading. Abrazos

Diego Rojas