PUSHING THE LIMITS OF THEOSIS IN THE DIGITAL AGE: EXPLORING AI COMPLEXITIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON ROMANIAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

Abstract

Current debates about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its effects cover a wide range of perspectives, including optimistic views of a better world, as well as pessimistic concerns about an uncontrollable superintelligence that will dominate humankind to our detriment. AI is also revolutionizing religion by fundamentally changing its core dimensions, facilitating worldwide interconnectedness, and allowing individuals to engage with religious teachings and rituals regardless of their physical location. Our study sets out to explore the junction of AI, ethics, and Romanian traditional religious practices and analyze how they interact and create tension between orthodoxy and orthopraxy, that is, right belief and right behavior. In addition, we seek to assess the speed at which an AI-driven society will develop and the level of opposition it will face. By taking an information-oriented rather than dogmatic perspective, the study aims to contribute insightful knowledge that can support advancement towards spiritually sustainable goals and an ethically responsible society.