---
title: "RE: why is the AI team burning incense near the data center??"
description: "5 source-backed AI claims from RE: why is the AI team burning incense near the data center??, with key statistics, context, and the original AI Adopters Club…"
url: "https://kbanc.com/claims-library/why-is-the-ai-team-burning-incense-near-the-data-center"
source: "https://aiadopters.club/p/re-why-is-the-ai-team-burning-incense"
date: "2025-01-10"
topics: ["strategy", "implementation", "business"]
generated: "2026-08-31"
---

# RE: why is the AI team burning incense near the data center??

By Kamil Banc | January 10, 2025

## Claims

1. **AI Church Founded** (source summary): In 2017, a former Google engineer founded a legally recognized church called Way of the Future.
2. **AI Exposure Reduces Religion** (source summary): A PNAS study covering 68 countries found higher AI exposure correlated with declines in religious adherence.
3. **AI Reshapes Faith** (source summary): A Nature study of 20 countries from 2000 to 2022 found AI reshaping religious practice.
4. **Tech Talent Draws AI Faith** (source summary): AI-centric religious movements are emerging primarily in tech-forward, highly educated communities that supply today's talent.
5. **Spiritual Side of AI Rollouts** (Kamil's interpretation): Business leaders should consider employees' emotional and spiritual relationships with AI during implementation efforts.

## Evidence

### Quote
> "The challenge isn't just teaching people how to use AI tools; it's helping them navigate their relationship with a technology that some view as potentially divine." - Kamil Banc

### Key Statistics
- **68 countries**: A Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study covering 68 countries from 2006 to 2019 found areas with higher AI and automation exposure experienced measurable declines in traditional religious adherence.
- **20 countries**: A Nature study examining 20 countries from 2000 to 2022 found AI's growing influence is actively reshaping how people practice their faith.
- **2017**: The year a former Google engineer founded Way of the Future, one of the first legally recognized AI-worshipping religions.

## Context
The article draws on peer-reviewed research from PNAS and Nature, along with reporting from Wired and The Walrus, to connect the rise of AI-centric religious movements to measurable shifts in traditional religious adherence. The author, Kamil Banc, translates these findings into practitioner guidance for business leaders rolling out AI tools. His core argument is that AI adoption is not merely a technical challenge but a cultural and spiritual one, since employees may hold deep emotional or even reverent beliefs about AI. Leaders are advised to anticipate resistance, develop nuanced change management strategies, and build trust through AI ethics guidelines. The practical takeaway is to balance leveraging AI's potential with a grounded, human-centered implementation approach.

## Source
- Original: [RE: why is the AI team burning incense near the data center??](https://aiadopters.club/p/re-why-is-the-ai-team-burning-incense)
- Cite: kbanc.com/claims-library/why-is-the-ai-team-burning-incense-near-the-data-center

## Primary Evidence
- [Wired](https://www.wired.com/story/anthony-levandowski-artificial-intelligence-religion/) (wired.com; supports claim 1)
- [Nature](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03137-8) (nature.com; supports claim 3)
- ["Where AI Thrives, Religion May Struggle"](https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/where-ai-thrives-religion-may-struggle) (chicagobooth.edu; supports claim 2)