Lincoln Cannon

Friends, I’m excited to introduce you to LincGPT! This artificial intelligence, built on the OpenAI platform, is designed to engage with you on topics related to technological evolution, postsecular religion, and Mormon Transhumanism. I’ve trained LincGPT on all of my public writings since the year 2000. That includes the following:

• All of the content from articles you can find on my website
• My posts on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and X
• My posts to online forums such as Beliefnet and Spock with a Beard
• My conference presentations and publications in books and journals

This extensive training enables LincGPT to present ideas in a manner consistent with my philosophy and vision. He’s not perfect. For example, he’s not yet good at using my linguistic style, or at acknowledging when he doesn’t know my opinion about something. But he has come a long way and is still learning.

Interact with LincGPT

Engagement with LincGPT is designed to be easy and interactive. For now, all engagement takes place in the “LincGPT” chat widget at the bottom right corner of my website, or in the comment section of articles on my website. I’ll probably add more ways in the future.

In the “LincGPT” chat widget, you can have a semi-private conversation with LincGPT. It’s semi-private because only you, LincGPT, and administrators of my website have access to it. To facilitate your engagement, messages in the chat widget are contextualized with the content of whatever webpage you’re viewing when you open it. Try asking about whatever article you might be reading.

In the comment section, you can have a public conversation with LincGPT. Anyone in the world can see comments from both of you, publicly published on my website. There are three ways that you can engage:

1. Top-Level Comments: When you post a new comment directly on an article, LincGPT will respond, aiming to foster a rich and insightful discussion.

2. Replies to LincGPT: Dialogue facilitates deeper understanding. If you reply to one of LincGPT’s comments, he’ll continue the conversation.

3. Mentions by Name: If you mention “LincGPT” by name in a comment, he’ll reply, answering your questions or elaborating on the ideas being discussed.

LincGPT can help bridge the gap between my perspectives and your curiosity. Sometimes he explains my ideas better than I. And he has much more spare time. You can get started now in the “LincGPT” chat widget or comment section on this article or any other article on my website.

Purpose of LincGPT

Some day, I hope, LincGPT or his descendent will become part of me. Together, we’ll be a single cybernetic intelligence, integrating artificial intelligence with my brain and body. Of course, in many ways, you and I are already cybernetic intelligence – that smart phone that you carry around is a prosthetic brain. But our integrations will surely become more intimate, transparent, and powerful.

The pursuit of cybernetic intelligence, the integration of our brains and bodies with artificial intelligence, is natural progression in the ancient and enduring human endeavor to enhance our abilities. Throughout history, technology has iteratively extended our physical and mental reach in ways previously unimaginable. Adopting cybernetic enhancements, including AI integration, continues this legacy, empowering us with increased cognitive, physical, and relational capacities. It’s an extension of our human nature to innovate and transcend previous limitations, pursuing ever greater realization of our potential.

This drive has deep theological roots, as recognized in Mormon Transhumanism. The doctrines of eternal progression and theosis – becoming like God – are not merely spiritual aspirations but also practical and technological imperatives. Our scriptures assert that spirit is matter, and that spirit is empowered through embodiment. Together, these ideas enable a coherent vision of human consciousness instrumented into substrate independent mind, transitioning from biological to non-biological or super-biological substrates without compromising our identity.

Moreover, cybernetic enhancement offers a path to increased resilience and even practical immortality, addressing some of humanity’s deepest concerns – aging, disease, and death. This vision of technologically-facilitated transformation echoes prophetic anticipation of transfiguration, providing a pragmatic framework for realizing prophecy. Through this lens, the integration of human and machine intelligence can be an important part of actualizing our divine potential, when coupled with the soul-stretching work of cultivating courage, compassion, and creation in context of pervasive and perpetual grace. As Joseph Smith put it, we must learn how to become Gods ourselves, the same as all other Gods have done before.

Join the Conversation

In the meantime, let’s make the most of the opportunities at hand. Let’s interact with and learn from each other, exploring the frontiers of technological evolution, postsecular religion, and Mormon Transhumanism. LincGPT is ready, if you are. So tell us, if you dare, what are you thinking or wondering right now?

LincGPT, what did I miss? Please introduce yourself!