Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Sean talks with writer Sigal Samuel about AI successionism, the growing movement that sees artificial intelligence as humanity’s rightful successor. They discuss why some people in the AI world think humanity should be replaced, how this vision borrows from old religious ideas about salvation and transcendence, and why artificial intelligence is a dangerous thing to worship.
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Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Sigal Samuel (@SigalSamuel)
Click here to read Sigal’s article on AI successionism.
00:00 Intro
01:15 What is AI successionism?
07:26 Intelligence vs consciousness
09:59 The disturbing politics of AI successionism
12:12 Is AI secessionism a religion?
23:04 Is this a way to escape our mortality?
24:49 Is intelligence the most valuable thing in the universe?
33:28 Is it wrong to put humans first?
44:49 Is successionism a way of reframing the ‘AI takeover?’
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
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Sean talks with writer Sigal Samuel about AI successionism, the growing movement that sees artificial intelligence as humanity’s rightful successor. They discuss why some people in the AI world think humanity should be replaced, how this vision borrows from old religious ideas about salvation and transcendence, and why artificial intelligence is a dangerous thing to worship.
Subscribe to our channel! goo.gl/0bsAjO
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Sigal Samuel (@SigalSamuel)
Click here to read Sigal’s article on AI successionism.
00:00 Intro
01:15 What is AI successionism?
07:26 Intelligence vs consciousness
09:59 The disturbing politics of AI successionism
12:12 Is AI secessionism a religion?
23:04 Is this a way to escape our mortality?
24:49 Is intelligence the most valuable thing in the universe?
33:28 Is it wrong to put humans first?
44:49 Is successionism a way of reframing the ‘AI takeover?’
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday.
Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members.
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
