AGI as secular religion

Prominent AI leaders and commentators routinely use religious metaphors (e.g., 'promised land', 'eye of the needle') that convert forecasts about artificial general intelligence into faith‑laden narratives. Recognizing this rhetorical pattern reframes debates about regulation, investment, and existential risk as cultural and political, not purely technical, disputes. — If AI progress is narrated as a secular religion, then policy and public debate will be driven by faith and identity signals rather than evidence, making deliberation and oversight subject to cultural dynamics.