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As I write this, an Asian man is staring at me while eating noodles. I feel uneasy, but it’s not because strangers’ stares make me uncomfortable.
This man is entirely artificial. He exists only as a collection of pixels and bytes on my laptop, but you wouldn’t know it when you look at him. My senses tell me I’m watching a recording of a real-world event. He, or rather, that — is a product of computer-based artificial intelligence (AI) and, at the time of writing, represents a new limit in the technology’s ability to produce realistic content.
In fact, AI technology has become so advanced that it’s hard to tell if the article you’re reading is the product of a human brain or was created with a few prompts and a chatbot. GenAI (artificial intelligence with the ability to generate content including images, audio, video, and text) has the power to blur the line between reality and fiction. Proponents of this technology say it will solve many of society’s toughest problems.
While it is certainly a powerful tool, it is unclear at this point whether GenAI will help humanity or be used to oppress people on an unprecedented scale. I think we are in the same boat as Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, who said, “Scientists are so focused on what can be done that they can’t do it.” should.”
From Babel to Bots
The Bible is an ancient book. There were no cars, computers, or cell phones, and certainly no artificial intelligence. You might think that the Bible has very little to say about how to embrace (or not embrace) new technology. But the early chapters of Genesis tell the true and tragic story of a technological advancement that changed history forever: the baked brick.
You probably know the story: On the plains of Shinar, people tried to build a tower with new bricks, with its top reaching to the heavens. It was to be a place where heaven and earth would come together, as they had done in Eden. The Tower of Babel was not just a bold building project; it was an attempt to return to paradise, away from God. God had commanded mankind to “fill the earth,” but the bricks enabled the people to build high and wide, disregarding God’s command and settling down (see Genesis 11:4).
To us, the heated mud brick seems like a practical but harmless invention. But no matter how basic it was, in sinful human hands it had the potential to prevent men and women from living the life God created them to live. Artificial intelligence, while much more complex than a brick, poses the same danger. No one is saying that AI will pave the way to Eden, but some have suggested that AI might become the new digital gods.
In fact, almost every new discovery or invention is morally neutral in and of itself. It’s how we use it that matters. And every advancement has a trade-off that must be considered. It’s up to us to decide if that trade is worth it. Before the automobile, travel was slow and took longer, but more people walked and fewer people suffered from obesity. Before mobile phones and social media, the world wasn’t at our fingertips, but we also didn’t experience rising depression and suicide rates, especially among teenagers. You get the idea. Now that we stand at the dawn of the AI era, we can take a moment to decide how, or even whether, to embrace this new technology.
It is important to remember that the purpose of life is not to go with the flow, but to walk in step with God. After all, “our citizenship is in heaven” and we are to be “ambassadors for Christ.” We are not meant to be here. Our values and priorities should reflect the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of this world. Therefore, our approach to AI should be aligned with our blood-bought identity as children of God, not the latest talking point from Silicon Valley.
of a With AI
The opening chapters of Genesis introduce us to God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Everything that exists, past, present, and future, belongs to God. He conceived it, brought it into existence, controls it, and sustains it. Reality belongs to God, and God created us to thrive in it. In other words, we were made for reality.
You’ve probably already discovered that the best things in life are real. Homemade food is better than processed food. Real relationships are better than fake. Live music played on real instruments is better than fake. Deep down, we know this. Our hearts crave the real thing. And yet, we are constantly tempted by artificial junk food.
This has been the case ever since the Garden. The serpent assumed a world in which Adam and Eve could know good and evil and become like God. The devil’s temptation was actually a subtle invitation to another reality, a reality that our first parents could create for themselves, independent of the Creator. This temptation continues today with the fantasies born of pornography, the false promises of wealth and fame, and the allure of worldly power. What do all these alternative realities have in common? They put us under their control. But this is God’s creation, and God is in control. Only when we submit to God’s good rule can we find God’s perfect rhythm in our lives.
Now, consider GenAI. GenAI promises that each of us will have control and be able to create anything we want instantly. This echoes Satan’s lie of “be like God.” As it stands, modern life ignores the rhythm God created, leaving many of us burned out, exhausted, and asking ourselves when we lost our way. Sadly, some have found that they got too busy to follow Jesus as they had originally intended. The world of AI is so large and its capabilities are virtually limitless, so with AI, the potential to pull us further away from the song of heaven is immense. The more we let the machines of this world into our lives, the harder it will be to break free from it.
Stolen birthright
God is the creator, and because we were made in His image, we are creators too. It’s in our DNA. Of course, we’re not all going to be sculptors or playwrights, but we all have a God-given calling to make or improve something. This tendency isn’t limited to any particular profession or personality type. We are all creators. It’s part of being human. You could even say it’s our birthright as the descendants of God.
But GenAI can do the creating for us, all it needs is the right prompts. Finished! — a C.S. Lewis-esque essay on the migration patterns of humpback whales, a digital reproduction of a new Beatles song, or a video of an Asian man calculating and eating noodles.
It’s easy, but… easy That was never the purpose of creativity. There is joy in the struggle, and repetition of trying improves our skills. With years and decades of practice, we become masters of our craft. But if GenAI means that no one else has to do that work any more, we are in danger of giving up part of our humanity. Like Esau, who traded his birthright for a bowl of stew, we are trading our rights for a bowl of stew. easyIt wasn’t a good deal for Esau, and it’s not a good deal for us.
I know some will accuse me of only seeing the negative aspects of AI. If so, it is only because there has been little critical thinking on the subject, especially from the church. In fairness, AI has many life-enhancing applications. In recent years, Bible translation has been fueled by technology, accelerating our mission to reach every person on the planet with God’s Word. People with disabilities are also being assisted by technology. For example, dozens of quadriplegics are piloting AI-based wheelchairs that move based on facial expressions. AI is being used to conduct complex medical research and to crack down on human trafficking.
These are great advances, and we should stand up and celebrate them. But there’s a big difference between carefully targeted application of new technology and widespread adoption without caution. What’s a blessing in some areas may be a curse in others.
Silicon Valley isn’t asking us for permission to put AI into everything. But we can choose when and how we use it. So before you get involved, ask yourself some good, soul-stirring questions. Here are some suggestions:
- Will this help me get closer to the Lord or will it pull me away from Him?
- Will this help me follow the rhythm of life that God has ordained for His children?
- Does this help us love our neighbors?
- Will this lead to greater human prosperity?
Solomon once wrote, “That which was in the past will be in the future; and that which was done in the past will be in the future. There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). AI may seem new, but it is really just another brick in the Tower of Babel. No matter how powerful the technology, the most important thing about the human condition remains the same: we were created to live with God. His presence is the most powerful reality. Don’t get distracted by AI or other things this world has to offer.
Copyright 2024 John Greco. All rights reserved.
