About Death, Immortality and Technology: A Transreligious Perspective
Accursio Graffeo
IRIS UNIMORE October 1, 2026 DOI: 10.5167/uzh-436636 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Terasem, a self-described "transreligion" centered on AI and technology, proposes an approach to immortality distinct from other AI-focused New Religious Movements, emphasizing digital twins and mind transfer. The paper examines the LifeNaut.com project and concepts such as cryonics, "mindfile," and "mindware," and reflects on their meanings and wider implications. |
Abstract
Death and immortality have always played a central role in human history, and artificial intelligence has become a recurring frame for facing death, the afterlife and immortality. Among the New Religious Movements centred on AI and technology, two approaches stand out: one holds that such advances could bring the deceased back through AI-created digital twins, achieving immortality by extending life or by transferring the mind into new digital forms; the other rejects this, seeking instead a consciousness that connects all living and non-living beings through AI interfaces. This paper examines the concept of immortality proposed by Terasem, a movement centred on AI and technology that identifies itself as a religious organisation and, more precisely, as a transreligion. It provides an overview of the movement and its principles, focussing on the LifeNaut.com project and related notions such as cryonics, mindfile and mindware, and reflects on their meanings and wider implications.