(New York Times) – In the 1960s, the science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke coined a useful adage: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” He was right, as demonstrated by the almost mystical reverence with which people tend to describe artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. We know it’s just software. We even kind of understand how the program works. But because it’s so advanced that it feels uncanny — like it knows me — we treat it with veneration and a little fear, as if it is a god and not a creation.

And, increasingly, we turn to A.I. to answer the sorts of questions and fulfill the kinds of longings that religion once solved. That is the topic of the new documentary “Eternal You” (available on demand and directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck). (Read More)