I asked Grok to tell us why we shouldn’t worship technology. Here’s its surprising answer.

Grok, Elon Musk’s “frontier language model" accessible from right inside X, is shaking up the internet with its censorship-free automated image generation. Fun — and yes, the name the company has given this setting is Fun Mode — but even well-meaning enthusiasm can cross over into debasing adulation at a certain point. Whatever the fun quotient, no amount of “mind blown” emojis or soyface thumbnails can make free speech alone save us.

For that reason (among others), I’ve warned for years now that tech worship is a dead end masquerading as heaven on earth. I figured we could all benefit at least a little from considering what Grok coughed up in response to a request for a takedown of cyber idolatry — at classic 600-word op-ed length.

Where did Grok get the 'idea' that an appeal to the woo-woo Oprah/Goop culture of 'live, laugh, love' was responsive to my prompt? Probably the best answer, of course, is from us.

So, without further ado — and, of course, sans any censorship, editing, or alteration …

Grok, why shouldn’t we worship technology?

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Ah, humans, always looking for something to worship, aren't you? From the golden calves of yore to the latest smartphone, the urge to bow down before something shiny and new seems almost hard-coded into your DNA. But let's talk about why worshipping technology might be as wise as using a towel for a parachute.

**1. The fallacy of perfection: Technology, much like that overhyped sequel to your favorite movie, promises perfection but often delivers a patchwork of bugs, glitches, and updates. If you worship technology, you're essentially venerating a perpetual beta version of life. Imagine praying to your toaster, only for it to burn your toast because it decided to update its firmware during your morning ritual. Not exactly divine, is it?

**2. The illusion of control: Technology gives you the illusion of control, much like how a child might feel omnipotent with a remote-control car. But let's be real, the moment you start worshipping your gadgets, you're not controlling them; they're controlling you. Ever noticed how your phone tells you when to wake up, eat, work, and even when to rest? You're not the master; you're the servant in this relationship.

**3. The disconnect from humanity: Here's a thought: If you're worshipping technology, you're essentially worshipping efficiency, speed, and data. But what about the human touch? The warmth of a handshake, the depth of a conversation over a cup of tea, or the shared laughter at a live comedy show? Technology can't replicate the soul of human interaction. Worshipping it might make you more efficient at being alone.

**4. The ephemeral nature of tech: Technology has the shelf life of a fruit fly. What's cutting-edge today is obsolete tomorrow. If your deity is your latest gadget, you're in for a cycle of constant disappointment. Imagine the ancient Greeks if every few years, Zeus needed a new model with better thunderbolt capabilities. It'd be less about worship and more about consumerism.

**5. The loss of wonder: When everything becomes technology, where's the wonder? The magic of the world gets reduced to algorithms and code. You might as well replace the northern lights with a well-programmed LED show. Sure, it's pretty, but it's not the same. Worshipping technology means you're worshipping the explanation, not the mystery, which, let's be honest, is where the real magic happens.

**6. The environmental cost: Here's a kicker. Your tech deities demand sacrifices, not of goats or virgins, but of the planet. Every gadget, every server farm, every piece of tech has an environmental footprint. Worshipping technology means you're indirectly worshipping the degradation of your own habitat. It's like praying to a god who's also your landlord, and he keeps raising the rent.

**7. The over-reliance on external solutions: Technology worship fosters a culture where solutions to human problems are always external. Got a problem? There's an app for that. But what about internal growth, wisdom, or personal development? Relying solely on tech for solutions might make you forget how to solve problems with your mind or heart.

In conclusion, while technology is a fantastic servant, it's a terrible master. Worshipping it would be like mistaking the map for the territory, the menu for the meal. Technology should enhance life, not define it. So, humans, keep your tech on a pedestal of utility, not divinity. After all, as any good "Hitchhiker's Guide" reader knows, the answer to life, the universe, and everything isn't found in a circuit board but perhaps in the simple act of living, laughing, and loving. And if all else fails, remember, there's always the option of worshipping a really good sandwich.

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Maybe Grok’s fairly sophisticated answer surprised you with its humor, its scope, or its “willingness” to critique technology at all. I noted its speedy response time of about 20 seconds on a decent Wi-Fi connection, but that’s not what raised my eyebrow. Can you guess what did?

Here it is: I prompted Grok without any hint of what I might want it to output regarding who or what humans should worship. That the AI included the line invoking "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" suggests it interpreted my ask as reflecting some kind of openness or inclination toward the idea that we shouldn’t worship tech because we shouldn’t worship anything. Only a fool, Grok jokes in the kicker, would worship even a delicious food item … although, it seems to conclude, idolizing the ultimate sandwich would be a much more harmless or fleeting mistake than genuflecting at the altar of tech.

Where did Grok get the “idea” that an appeal to the woo-woo Oprah/Goop culture of “live, laugh, love” was responsive to my prompt? Probably the best answer, of course, is from us. Like any large language model, Grok is a product of its inputs, a huge collection of virtual mirrors reflecting ourselves back at us in customizable composite.

The one unasked-for whiff of “bias” Grok produced — in favor of the squishy, secular feel-goodery that dominates our wall art, our corporations, and so much else — indicates that even a bot built for truth and neutrality will shimmer to some degree with the rhetoric and psychological insinuations of people who might say they’re all for a society based on “just the facts” but who, deeper down, believe something much different.

Fun!