The Rise of Silicon Valley’s Techno- Religion

Metz, Cade. “The Rise of Silicon Valley’s Techno-Religion.” New York Times, New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/technology/rationalists-ai-lighthaven.html. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

In this article, author Cade Metz discusses the rise of the Rationalists. Metz describes the Rationalists as a cult-like group whose primary belief is that AI will become a sort of benevolent or malevolent god, and it is up to the people to make sure we are not doomed to a malicious or violent AI uprising. This group is in contact with many major tech companies, and, according to Metz, their influence is quietly spreading. Their beliefs are closely related to/ come from those of the Effective Altruists, who work to calculate who actually benefits from charity and philanthropy, and decide what to do based on how many people it will benefit. It’s a kind of utilitarianism. These groups also have beliefs that tend toward eugenics. 

I like this article because these are definitely conversations we need to be having as AI progresses. I do not mean I agree with the Rationalist movement, but rather than more and more cult-like activity seems to be popping up around AI. This article offered a clear look at one of these groups and how they gained and maintained influence.