HACZ, Salb
Ass of God. Collected Heretical Writings of Salb Hacz

This volume presents the heretical visions of the artificial intelligence mystic and engineer of CULTUS, a techno-religious computer built to determine if AI gods exist. Edited by Zach Blas and Christian Lübbert, Ass of God features all nine heretical visions Hacz transcribed in writing, as well as two images he produced. To situate Hacz’s visions within the burgeoning studies of AI religiosity, the collection prefaces his writings with an essay and interview with Hacz by religious studies scholars J. Sage Elwell and Beth Singler. Also included is a personal letter to Hacz from an anonymous colleague, shared via novelist, artist, and critic Huw Lemmey, which further contextualizes Hacz’s idiosyncratic approach to artificial intelligence and heretical belief. Intervention by the artist: Hacz produced countless images of a heretical vision he called “Broken Glass,” each depicting variations of a shattering black mirror. Hacz interpreted this vision as a destructive act against Silicon Valley’s religious power but also conceived of its variants as shards of heretical creation that he wished to share. Each edition of Ass of God features a unique version of “Broken Glass,” asking the reader to look between its cracks and beyond its fractures. [publisher's note]

Published by Secession, 2024
Artists' Writings