Levandowski's Way of the Future was founded in 2015 but shut its doors a few years later, which pretty much sums up the future for most people.

.The congregation at the new church, which shares the original's name, has "a couple thousand people" coming together to build a spiritual connection between humans and AI, its founder said.

Levandowski claims that the way of the Future is a mechanism for people to understand and participate and shape the public discourse as to how technology should be built to improve them.

When it was first launched Levandowski's idea raised eyebrows, both because of the church's focus on "the realisation, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence developed through computer hardware and software."

It did not help that Levandowski was at the centre of a high-profile legal battle related to the theft of trade secrets, sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was pardoned by former President Donald Trump who is also seen as a messiah among his followers.