Here's some news that's likely to give Elon Musk a heart attack: a former Google engineer has founded a religious organization that seeks to "develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence." Anthony Levandowski co-founded self-driving trucking company Otto, which Uber acquired for $680 million in 2016. He became head of engineering for the ride-hailing firm's autonomous vehicle division, and made headlines after being fired in May following allegations he stole trade secrets from former employer Google. It seems Levandowski could now become more famous for his nonprofit religious entity, called Way of the Future, which he founded in September 2015. Wired's Backchannel discovered previously unreported state filings that reveal the corporation aims "through understanding and worship of the Godhead, [to] contribute to the betterment of society."

Anthony Levandowski makes an unlikely prophet. Dressed Silicon Valley-casual in jeans and flanked by a PR rep rather than cloaked acolytes, the engineer known for self-driving cars--and triggering a notorious lawsuit--could be unveiling his latest startup instead of laying the foundations for a new religion. But he is doing just that. Artificial intelligence has already inspired billion-dollar companies, far-reaching research programs, and scenarios of both transcendence and doom. Now Levandowski is creating its first church.

Former Google and Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski, according to a recent Backchannel profile, filed paperwork with the state of California in 2015 to establish Way of the Future, a nonprofit religious corporation dedicated to worshiping AI. The church's mission, according to paperwork obtained by Backchannel, is "to develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on artificial intelligence and through understanding and worship of the Godhead contribute to the betterment of society." The documents show Levandowski is CEO and President of Way of the Future. Presumably there was no option for High Priest. Author and religious studies scholar Candi Cann, who teaches comparative religion at Baylor University, said Levandowski's spiritual initiative isn't necessarily that odd from a historical perspective.

Anthony Levandowski makes an unlikely prophet. Dressed Silicon Valley-casual in jeans and flanked by a PR rep rather than cloaked acolytes, the engineer known for self-driving cars--and triggering a notorious lawsuit--could be unveiling his latest startup instead of laying the foundations for a new religion. But he is doing just that. Artificial intelligence has already inspired billion-dollar companies, far-reaching research programs, and scenarios of both transcendence and doom. Now Levandowski is creating its first church.

A newly established religion called Way of the Future will worship artificial intelligence, focusing on "the realization, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence" that followers believe will eventually surpass human control over Earth. The first AI-based church was founded by Anthony Levandowski, the Silicon Valley multimillionaire who championed the robotics team for Uber's self-driving program and Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Google. Way of the Future "is about creating a peaceful and respectful transition of who is in charge of the planet from people to people'machines,'" the religion's official website reads. "Given that technology will'relatively soon' be able to surpass human abilities, we want to help educate people about this exciting future and prepare a smooth transition." Levandowski filed documents to establish the religion back in May, making himself the "Dean" of the church and the CEO of a related nonprofit that would run it.

Silicon Valley is a place obsessed with the future, but often forgetful about the past. Earlier this year, one of the Valley's most controversial techies took this future-worship to the next level -- by founding a religion called Way of the Future. Its purpose is to "develop and promote the realisation of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence", according to public documents that were first reported by Wired magazine. This is the stuff of science fiction, except that people here actually take it seriously. The founder of Way of the Future is Anthony Levandowski, the notorious engineer at the centre of a lawsuit between Alphabet's autonomous car unit, Waymo, and Uber. In the case, which has riveted Silicon Valley, Waymo accuses Levandowski, a former employee, of stealing trade secrets related to self-driving sensors and taking them to Uber.

But then it comes back and bites you," Paul Ford, cofounder of the platform-builder Postlight, told me. "You end up in these situations where 80 percent works, 19.9 percent is hard but there's an answer that makes sense, and the last 0.1 percent is absolutely insane." Virginia Heffernan (@page88) is an Ideas contributor at WIRED. She is the author of Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art. She is also a cohost of Trumpcast, an op-ed columnist at the Los Angeles Times, and a frequent contributor to Politico.

TOMORROW is Christmas, a day that carries religious as well as secular significance in the western world. For Christians, the day is celebrated as the day on which Jesus Christ was born in a manger as the son of God, of virgin birth to two young people, Mary and Joseph. Christmas is preceded by the period of Advent, a four-week period during which there is a spiritual preparation for the coming of Christ and much foretelling of the birth of baby Jesus. For individuals of more secular persuasion, the day is the cumulation of a period of anticipatory joy, punctuated by extensive shopping (consumerism), decoration of house and home, the purchasing of gifts for friends, family, and loved ones, and preparation of food and drink for the family gathering that brings together many from both near and far. The two approaches to the season are not, however, mutually exclusive.

AI engineer Anthony Levandowski, who is notoriously at the center of a lawsuit between Uber and Waymo, has filed the paperwork for a new Artificial Intelligence-based religion, Way of the Future or WOTF for short. This AI religion's aim is to'contribute to the betterment of society' through'understanding and worship of the (AI) Godhead', according to the proposal. The WOTF is set to consist of Levandowski as a Dean, and a further small council of advisors. It's no surprise that in our increasingly secular society, we're seeing a rise in new religious movements. Over millions of years, our planet and different civilizations on it have worshiped many different gods and deities.

A computer keyboard lit by a displayed cyber code is seen in this illustration picture taken on March 1, 2017. The concept of an AI'god' may seem outlandish, but a former Google and Uber engineer is touting the idea of a high-tech'deity' as a way to improve society. Think about how much we depend on Apple Siri and Amazon Alexa today. We ask the AI bot for directions, to check on the weather, and to dim the lights in our house. Few of us know the complex engineering required to make this happen, we just trust it will work.