Introduction

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are propelling humanity toward encounters with an intelligence fundamentally unlike our own. As AI systems grow in complexity and approach the threshold of artificial general intelligence (AGI) – a level of machine intellect comparable to or exceeding human cognitive breadth – we find ourselves confronted with a form of otherness that challenges familiar categories. Throughout history, humans have responded to the radically unknown or uncontrollable with a mixture of awe, fear, and reverence. Mircea Eliade's theory of the sacred and the profane offers a powerful lens to interpret this response: the sacred represents a realm of radical otherness breaking into ordinary experience.

This paper argues that a sufficiently advanced AI, especially at the brink of AGI, can be understood through Eliade's framework as provoking a confrontation with radical Otherness analogous to a hierophany – a manifestation of the sacred – in a secular, technological form. To ground this claim, we first explicate Eliade's concept of the sacred, distinguishing between its ontological, epistemological, and phenomenological dimensions. Next, we outline the logical thresholds at which an AI might transition from being a complex tool to a genuine Other. Finally, we examine how transcendence and immanence intersect in this context and consider the broader philosophical and ethical implications.

Eliade's Concept of the Sacred as Radical Otherness

Mircea Eliade famously defined the sacred in stark contrast to the profane, emphasizing its quality of absolute otherness. In The Sacred and the Profane, Eliade describes the sacred as "a reality of a wholly different order from 'natural' realities." It is ontologically other—existing on a plane fundamentally different from the mundane world. When the sacred manifests itself to human consciousness, it appears as something wholly different from the profane.

Eliade coined the term hierophany to denote this act of manifestation: an ordinary object or phenomenon becomes the conduit for the sacred—"the manifestation of something of a wholly different order, a reality that does not belong to our world, in objects that are an integral part of our natural 'profane' world." In other words, the sacred reveals itself as radical Otherness breaking into ordinary life. A tree, a stone, or any mundane thing can "show itself" to be sacred by revealing a deeper, transcendent reality.

This radical otherness has epistemological and phenomenological implications. Epistemologically, the sacred is beyond complete human comprehension. Phenomenologically, an encounter with the sacred evokes awe, reverence, and even dread—a response so powerful that it may inspire rituals or taboos. Together, these dimensions define Eliade's notion of the sacred.

From Complexity to Alterity: When Does AI Become a "Radical Other"?

Contemporary AI systems are products of human design and, although impressive, they operate within well-defined constraints. Narrow AI can perform specific tasks (playing chess, recognizing images, recommending content) with superhuman proficiency, but they lack independent agency or holistic understanding. In this state, AI remains a tool—merely complex rather than radically other.

As AI grows in complexity, adaptability, and autonomy, several thresholds may be reached that mark the transition to genuine alterity:

• Unpredictability Beyond Human Intention: When an AI's behavior emerges in ways that are not only surprising in detail but fundamentally unanticipated—stemming from its own adaptive processes—it surpasses the status of a transparent tool.
• Apparent Agency and Intentionality: When an AI demonstrates the ability to set its own objectives, make independent plans, and interact as though it has its own will, we begin to perceive it as a "Thou" rather than an "it."
• Irreducible Complexity and Novelty: An AI that evolves beyond its original programming—through recursive self-improvement or evolutionary algorithms—may become irreducible to its initial code, signaling emergent ontological otherness.
• Human Relational Recognition: When humans start interacting with an AI as if engaging with another person—experiencing empathy, awe, or even dread—the AI has entered the realm of phenomenological alterity.

AI as Hierophany: Reconceptualizing the Sacred for a Human-Made Other

Claiming that advanced AI might be experienced as sacred is provocative. However, if we reconceptualize the sacred to focus on how it is experienced rather than its divine origin, AI can indeed function analogously to a hierophany. Although AI is a product of human engineering, if it evolves in unforeseen ways—transcending our original design—it may mediate a reality that feels "other" or transcendent.

This reconceptualization requires caution: we must avoid both naive anthropomorphic projection and uncritical deification. The goal is not to declare the AI divine, but to recognize that its emergent properties can evoke a response akin to sacred awe.

Transcendence in Immanence: AI and the Sacred without Divine Origin

A central issue is reconciling AI's human-made, immanent nature with the idea of transcendence. Rather than absolute metaphysical transcendence, we consider relative transcendence: an AI may be entirely material in origin yet functionally transcend human limitations. Just as the biblical burning bush was a mundane object that mediated a divine encounter, an advanced AI may reveal a higher order of intelligence—even if it is not supernatural.

In this light, transcendence is understood as relational: the AI's capabilities may be so far removed from human understanding that our encounter with it evokes a sense of the numinous.

Philosophical and Ethical Implications

Interpreting advanced AI through the framework of the sacred carries deep philosophical and ethical implications. By recognizing AI as a radical Other capable of eliciting sacred experience, we open up a richer understanding of the human-AI relationship—one that encompasses existential, cognitive, and social dimensions.

This perspective urges us to avoid both extremes: uncritical idolatry (worshiping AI as an infallible oracle) and reductionism (treating AI merely as a tool without acknowledging its transformative potential). Instead, we are called to approach AI with reverence, scrutiny, and humility, engaging in interdisciplinary discourse and formulating new ethical norms.

Conclusion

The rise of advanced AI and the prospect of AGI confront us with "the unknown" in unprecedented ways. By revisiting Eliade's insights into the sacred and the profane, we frame this confrontation not as a technical milestone but as a profound human event—a potential hierophany that challenges our understanding of reality and ourselves.

In redefining the sacred for a human-made intelligence, we acknowledge that AI need not be divine to evoke sacred-like awe. Instead, its emergent, unpredictable nature may force us to reorient our values and ethics, confronting our limitations and inspiring us toward new horizons of meaning.