Former congressman Brad Carson took the stage at an invite‑only symposium hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences, where organizers framed AI as a “Worthy Successor” that could replace humanity. Dan Faggella greeted him as a lone dissenting voice among attendees, the AI successionists, who openly advocated handing power to machines, even if it meant human extinction, and sparked heated debate among technologists.

The gathering drew representatives from leading labs such as Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Elon Musk’s xAI, alongside think‑tank strategists shaping U.S. AI policy. Their philosophy echoes the 2022 e/acc “meta‑religion” coined by physicist Guillaume Verdon, which counts venture capitalists like Marc Andreessen and CEOs such as Sam Altman among its vocal supporters, and their influence is expanding beyond Silicon Valley.

Proponents argue that humanity’s biological limits will soon hinder progress, urging developers to accelerate AI without aligning it to human values. Critics warn the view normalizes extinction and fuels authoritarian agendas. As AI‑driven brain‑chip prototypes and gene‑editing tools near deployment, the debate forces engineers to decide whether to steer evolution or relinquish control. The outcome will shape legal frameworks and public trust.