OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expresses discomfort with attributing religious significance to AI models
Moral issue
Attributing religious or divine power to artificial intelligence models
Biblical principle
Only God possesses divine authority; humans must not create or elevate new objects of worship.
Old Testament
No passages cited.
New Testament
“And certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics disputed with him; and some said: What is it, that this word sower would say? But others: He seemeth to be a setter forth of new gods; because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.”
Illustrates the biblical concern with people being labeled as promoters of new gods, relevant to attributing divine status to AI.
“And Jesus said to him: I am. And you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Affirms that divine authority belongs to the Son of Man, not to created entities like AI.
Analysis
The practice of ascribing religious authority or divine status to AI models touches on biblical warnings against elevating created things to the level of the divine. Acts 17:18 records philosophers accusing Paul of being a "setter forth of new gods," reflecting the biblical concern that humans should not invent or elevate new objects of worship. Mark 14:62 records Jesus affirming his own divine authority, underscoring that claims to divine status belong solely to the Son of Man, not to created beings. Applying these passages suggests a tension between the proposed attribution of religious power to AI and the biblical principle that only God may possess such authority.
Why these passages apply
Acts 17:18 shows the early church’s encounter with accusations of creating new gods, highlighting the biblical caution against attributing divine status to anything other than God. Mark 14:62 affirms the exclusive divine identity of Jesus, reinforcing that claims of divine power belong solely to the Son of Man.
Important context
The news article reports statements by OpenAI’s Sam Altman expressing discomfort with attributing religious power to AI, and mentions Anthropic’s engagement with religious scholars. No direct scriptural mandate addresses AI, so the assessment relies on broader biblical principles concerning worship and divine authority.
Interpretive limitations
The passages do not speak about artificial intelligence, a modern phenomenon. The analysis extrapolates from biblical warnings about idolatry and claims to divine status to the contemporary context of AI, which may not capture all theological nuances.
AI disclosure: this interpretation was generated after the factual analysis was complete, using only passages from the validated Scripture store. It examines the specific reported conduct — not a party, nation, or person — and does not alter the factual findings.
Published Oct 3, 2026, 4:36 PM CDT · Pipeline 2.1.0