Regulation and ethics · 2026-10-15

TESCREAL: Silicon Valley's New Faith?

A Crisis Magazine article describes TESCREAL, a set of ideas popular among some tech leaders that critics compare to religion.

✨ What TESCREAL is

TESCREAL is an acronym proposed by researchers Timnit Gebru and Émile Torres in 2023. It groups several schools of thought: transhumanism, extropianism, singularitarianism, cosmism, rationalism, effective altruism, and longtermism.

These movements are linked to the idea that technologies, including AI, could radically change humanity: extend life, create a machine smarter than humans, or shape the fate of millions of people in the distant future.

📌 Why it is called a faith

The headline's phrase "new faith" suggests that these ideas have features of religion: faith in future salvation through technology, strong expectations, and a division between the "chosen" who supposedly should decide the world's fate.

Supporters often say their goals serve all of humanity. Critics argue that this may distract from real problems of today, such as inequality, work, and people's safety right now.

Sources: 🔗 Google News