PVPF 2024

Interview With Col. Arvind Uniyal, author of 'God is Digital'

Col. Arvind Uniyal also had been a professor in the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering of the Indian Army, teaching graduate and post-graduate students.
on Mar 24, 2023

Col. Arvind Uniyal is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. He has vast experience in providing tactical and strategic Telecommunications for the Indian Army as he has served in the technical wing of the same, the Corps of Signals, for over two decades. He has been instrumental in planning and establishing a modern, pan-India strategic Telecommunication network for the Indian Army.

Post-retirement from Army, he has served in a premier Telecom Public Sector company where he headed its R&D wing. Under his leadership, several telecom systems and IT security systems, both hardware and software-based, were developed and commercialized. He also headed the telecom manufacturing plant, where he provided leadership in manufacturing telecom and IT systems and devices and had “hands-on” experience in production raising them. He has been a consultant to other telecom manufacturing companies also.

He also had been a professor in the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering of the Indian Army, teaching graduate and post-graduate students. He also has been a visiting faculty to various civilian educational institutes.

Frontlist: What motivated you to explore the idea that a higher intelligence or consciousness may have created life on Earth through a Digital Model?

Arvind: I am a science student and know that a digital model can explain all universal phenomena. So why not life itself? That is why this humble attempt. However, some supernatural power was certainly at play to put this idea into my mind.

Frontlist: Can you discuss any potential ethical concerns or implications of a world controlled by artificial intelligence, as described in your book?

Arvind: The world with virtual reality/ augmented reality (Metaverse), humanoids (AI-based human-like robots), and Elon Musk’s chip implant in the brain, though being advanced as a remedy to diseases of the nervous system like paralysis, maybe, used to replace special equipment/gadgets used for experiencing virtual reality (like goggles) by taking the inputs directly through radio waves, and feeding directly to the brain. All these three will create a world where the distinction between virtual human, humanoid, and the real human will vanish. The conventional concept of morality will have no meaning, and a new idea of morality may emerge. In any case as brought out in the book, ethics are not absolute (Nothing is) and change with time, space, environment, culture, etc.

Incidentally, we may already be living in a world created by some superior beings as per the above model. Who knows.

Frontlist: How does the Digital Model compare to other philosophical or religious perspectives on the origins and purpose of life?

Arvind: Working day in and day out with digital systems and processes, analyzing their functionality, making innovations and new developments created a mindset in me to view the world through a digital prism. So the brain as a network of neurons appears as a huge FPGA(Field Programmable Gate Array), which can be programmed for various tasks. Therefore, viewing life in a digital framework was a natural consequence.

Frontlist: Can you explain how your experience in the telecommunications industry influenced your perspective on the Digital Model?

Arvind: The model suggested in the book aligns with Hindu or Sanatan philosophy in that the supreme consciousness, as primordial energy, is the source of all creation. This energy converts into the matter, both animate and inanimate, as also in other forms of energy like light, heat, gravity, etc., to create this universe. The different levels of consciousness are symbolically represented by Humans, Yakshas and Gandharvas, Devtas, etc, for easier comprehension.

There are other philosophical perspectives that, to my knowledge, don't address existential questions like "Who am I, why am I here, and where am I going."

Frontlist: How does your understanding of the Digital Model affect your personal beliefs and worldview?

Arvind: This model firmly reinforces the idea that "the world (in fact everything) is Maya (broadly translated as an illusion but is much more)," as has been stated by Hindu Rishis and religious philosophers from time immemorial. Yet passivity is unacceptable; only positive action can free us from this web of Maya.

Frontlist: How does the Digital Model relate to our understanding of the universe and cosmology?

Arvind: The supreme consciousness as primordial energy converts into the matter like stars, planets, the human body, etc.( E=mcSquare) and other forms of energy which constitute the cosmos. Hence, studying this primordial energy will give deep insight into the cosmos' behaviour, including its creation and destruction.

Frontlist: How do you think the Digital Model can help bridge the gap between science and spirituality?

Arvind: In the book, everything given is explained strictly per the laws of science. However, since the theory propounded in the book requires extensive validation, it can be done by the readers through personal experience. As a result, the gap between science and spirituality disappears when science is used to explain spiritual phenomena.