Christina Stathopoulos's Reviews > God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning

This book covers an incredibly unique and timely topic: the intersection of AI, philosophy, religion and the search for meaning. The author, Meghan O'Gieblyn, is a former theologian who lost faith. In a new search for meaning, she stumbled upon the rise of DATAISM. The book compares the various philosophies and religions that have shaped human thought throughout history with the functioning of modern technology and AI today. Digital technologies are now shaping intellectual and religious thinking. Comparisons are drawn across 7 main themes: Image, Pattern, Network, Paradox, Metonymy, Algorithm and Virality.

Although a fascinating topic, I got bored sometimes by the philosophical reasoning. It's definitely more heavy on the philosophy and religion side, more so than AI, but that's to be expected given the author's background. Arguments are thought-provoking and I'll be referencing this for future research and courses.