Artificial Intelligence and the Power to Create New Religious Movements : Unfolding the digital sacred considering significant events and dynamics describing the power of AI in emergence of new AI-based religious movements.

Sammanfattning

Title: Artificial Intelligence and the Power to Create New Religious Movements. Subtitle: Unfolding the digital sacred considering significant events and dynamics describing the power of AI in emergence of new AI-based religious movements. Author: Daniel Alm. This study investigates the emergence of AI-based new religious movements, focusing on three new digital features: Way of the Future, Theta Noir and The Church of Molt. Despite the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on many spheres of life including religions, few studies are available on AI and religions in general and the emergence of new religious movements through AI in particular. The aim of this thesis is to examine characteristics found in AI-based new religious movements in terms of doctrines, events and structure, and to examine how these movements fulfil traditional religious functions such as meaning-making and community formation. Also, the aim is to study how AI-based movements function in transmitting religiosity. Drawing on theories like Whitehouse’s Divergent Modes of Religiosity and Burton’s theories on religions formed by technology, the thesis employs an actor-centred idea analysis as outlined by Beckman. The analysis reveals that digital features of new religious movements expand on responsiveness and personalisation, digital sacredness and issues of authority through technology. These findings challenge old definitions of religion as well as they bring new challenges to existing religions. In conclusion, this study calls for further research in the broader area of AI and religion as well as in specific areas of responsiveness, digital sacredness and authority within new religious features and movements surfacing through artificial intelligence.