Large language models will upend human rituals

Rituals aren’t just about God, but about people’s relations with each other. Everyday life depends on ritual performances such as being polite, dressing appropriately, following proper procedure and observing the law. The particulars vary, often mightily, across time, space and societies. But they are the foundation of all formal and informal institutions, making co-ordination between people feel effortless. They seem invisible, only because we take them so much for granted.