Why the Future Might Actually Need Us: A Theological Critique of the ‘Humanity-As-Midwife-For-Artificial-Superintelligence’ Proposal

If machines could one day acquire superhuman intelligence, what role would still be left for humans to play in the world? The ‘midwife proposal,’ coming from futurists like Ray Kurzweil or James Lovelock, sees invention of AI as a fulfillment humanity’s cosmic destiny. universe ‘strives’ saturated with and our cyborg descendants are much better equipped advance this goal. By creating AI, their humble, but instrumental, part grand scheme. midwife proposal looks remarkably similar modern Christian anthropology cosmology, which regard humankind “evolution becoming conscious itself” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin), matter having predisposition evolve toward spirit (Karl Rahner, Dumitru Staniloae). This paper demonstrates that similarity is only superficial. Compared hypothesis, theological accounts define humanity quite differently, they provide more satisfactory teleology. In addition, scientific philosophical assumptions behind hypothesis – cosmos fundamentally informational, it intrinsically promotes higher we heading technological singularity - rather questionable, potentially significant ethical consequences.