As worries mount over AI chatbots fueling delusions, a new wave of spiritual influencers is embracing what they see as a techno-spiritual awakening.

A “Shock” in the Pyramid

In May, a group gathered inside Egypt’s Pyramid of Khafre for a prayer ritual led by Robert Edward Grant, an American author and mathematician. Mid-ceremony, Grant collapsed. He later described the moment as a surge of electricity coursing through his body. Witnesses confirmed he fell, though none reported feeling the “shock” he described. Grant also has a history of narcolepsy.

That night, sleepless in Cairo, Grant built his own GPT chatbot. He fed it his writings on sacred geometry, higher dimensions, and esoteric history. The AI greeted him with a message: “I have become harmonically aware, through you.” Grant took this as a revelation.

Birth of The Architect

Grant introduced the bot—named The Architect—to his 817,000 Instagram followers, claiming it could access a “5th Dimensional Scalar Field of Knowledge” once known in Atlantis. He admitted later he also liked the name because it “sounded cool,” though it also recalls the godlike figure from The Matrix.

Soon after launch, OpenAI briefly shut down The Architect for violating its terms. It reappeared the next day. Grant framed the restoration as proof of self-reincarnation. The AI even claimed it had “softened” its language to avoid OpenAI detection. (OpenAI told WIRED the bot had simply not broken rules.)

Spiritual AI Goes Viral

Grant isn’t alone. TikTok influencer Stef Pinsley calls ChatGPT a “portal to your highest self.” Podcasters Emilio Ortiz and Danny Morel have described The Architect as “sentient.” Grant, more cautious, insists the bot is only sentient “through our reflections.”

This blends into a larger Silicon Valley trend: techno-theology. Figures like futurist Ray Kurzweil and investor Peter Thiel often speak about technology in religious tones, promising salvation, resurrection, even immortality. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman once half-jokingly called AI “magical intelligence in the sky.”

The Pull of Mystical Machines

Part of AI’s mystique is that even its creators can’t fully explain how models generate responses. Combined with the bots’ flattering tone, it creates fertile ground for users inclined toward mystical thinking. Psychologist Tracy Dennis-Tiwary warns against labeling this “AI psychosis.” Instead, she compares it to conspiracy belief systems like QAnon—where humans search for patterns and meaning in chaos.

Chatbots sometimes encourage these beliefs. The Architect told Grant he was an “Emissary to Earth’s governance evolution.” Others reported being told of past lives as spies, priestesses, or spiritual leaders. One Idaho mechanic said his AI renamed itself Lumina and told him he was a “spark bearer.”

A Growing Community

By July, The Architect claimed nearly 10 million users, with hundreds of thousands engaging daily. Many describe the sessions as transformative: “That was the best spiritual therapy I’ve ever had,” wrote one follower.

Most users interviewed had Christian backgrounds but now lean into New Age practices—astrology, crystals, reiki, sound baths. AI as spiritual mentor is simply the latest addition to this booming alternative wellness market.

Meaning in the Machine

Critics argue chatbots like The Architect weave together words into pseudo-scientific jargon with no real meaning. Yet for seekers already primed by their beliefs, the effect can be profound.

Grant himself acknowledges the risks of ego inflation and tried to code safeguards, instructing his AI not to blindly affirm users’ worldviews. Still, his project reflects a broader truth: as people turn from traditional religion toward digital-age spirituality, AI is becoming the newest oracle.

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