AGI, apocalyptic narrative and state of exception

The artificial general intelligence (AGI) narrative, which posits that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to benefit all of humanity while threatening to destroy all of humanity , is an apocalyptic narrative that has become increasingly dominant in debates around AI ethics. This article (1) constructs an analogy between the transhumanist AGI narrative and Christian apocalypticism through which we can (2) constitute the transhumanist AGI narrative as a rhetorical strategy that invokes a state of exception to (3) endow AI with auctoritas , an intangible form of power that grants the legitimacy to decide on exceptional situations. The article concludes with reflections on the implications of this rhetorical transfer of power’s coupling with transhumanist eugenic goals on human rights and AI ethics.