Artificial Intelligence?

The use of Artificial Intelligence has ramped up of late, and it is common for me to see social media posts that utilise AI in visuals and text.  Every time I use a search engine, the AI results are annoyingly placed at the top of the page, spewing regurgitated information that needs to be carefully checked for accuracy.  Yesterday the AI response was incorrect twice in a row, as it told me a company offered free shipping and then (after an apology) said the same company had a flat rate of $29.99!  While technology can be beneficial and can aid us to find what we seek online, I find actual human intelligence and practical help infinitely more useful in my daily life.

In a recent interview, Elon Musk said concerning AI:  "I think AI may exceed the sum of human intelligence in roughly five years...There really won't be anything that AI can't do better than humans apart from being human, perhaps."  Musk zeroed on the very thing AI can never do, and that is to be human created by God in His image.  Artificial Intelligence is something mankind has sought to create in his own image, compiling data and determining its use with algorithms and guardrails.  Everything that is artificial has not been created by God but is a man-made product of this world that will ultimately grow old, outdated and cease to exist.  Artificial is the fake put in place of the real, and while it may look attractive and be amazing for awhile, it can sometimes do harm--whether it be chemicals added to food, fillers injected into lips or a digital AI companion.

Whether or not AI will ever exceed the sum of human intelligence I do not purport to know, but I do know that intelligence is not the end-all.  Intelligence is a small part of what we as humans can do and is not who we are.  God created human beings to think, know, explore, to communicate, have convictions, to form beliefs, to have a basis of morality thanks to our God-given conscience, to work, help others and love.  A degree of intelligence helps us to do these things, yet volumes of data are no substitute or replacement for God and people He has created to know, love Him and do His will.  This is the clear limitation AI will always have:  it cannot be human.  Because it cannot be human, it will never be a unique soul, know God, be born again or live forever.  It is for this reason I do not believe AI should have any place in my Bible study and sermon preparation.  Christians are not called to be data driven but led by the Holy Spirit.

A lot of the AI I observe in use these days on Christian websites is to summarise text and clean up grammar, and in itself there is nothing wrong with this--though to me it seems unnecessary.  AI may be a fad that fades like the Dot-Com bubble burst or it may continue to grow in usefulness until I die, but it cannot replace Christians in this world, preachers in the church or believers who serve one another in love.  AI is such a chameleon it may try (prompted by wickedness, laziness and unbelief of man) to do the LORD's work in this world, but for all its intelligence it will always lack wisdom that comes from knowing God personally.  If God has called you to study, share and teach His word, trust that God who is real and knows all things can lead you into all truth infinitely better than anything artificial.

Comments

Post a Comment

To uphold the integrity of this site, no comments with links for advertising will be posted. No ads here! :)

Popular posts from this blog

Orthodox Spiritual Warfare

One thing I often observe among genuine believers is confusion and uncertainty concerning what is commonly called "spiritual warfare."  Generally speaking, there is a kind of Christian who, when facing conflicts, perceived setbacks, losses or trials, assumes this must be the result of a spiritual attack.  To give an example, I remember a fellow who was suspicious he had been cursed by a spiritist because of the placement of a large zit on the tip of his nose.  When we go down this murky path of anything or everything negative in our lives being the result of demonic forces coming against us, rest and peace is replaced with fear and obsessive vigilance.  The problem is, on our own we are like blind people swatting in the dark at perceived threats that are active only in our own imagination. Through a combination of teaching that emphasises a believer's authority in Christ, a personal leaning towards a desire for control, and ready access to formulaic and prescriptive ...
Read more

Rest and Abiding

During a drive running errands I saw a makeshift memorial by the side of the road with the familiar acronym:  "RIP" or "Rest in Peace."  After a person dies, their body is laid to rest because their lives on earth are over.  The body ceases to function and there remains no more work for them to accomplish.  My mind went to the rest Jesus promised to all who are weary and heavy laden, that He would give rest for our souls.  This is a different kind of rest because it goes beyond the physical realm we can see and we can spiritually experience it before our life on earth is over. Hebrews 4:8-11 reads, " There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.  10  For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.  11  Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. "  The writer of Hebrews makes it clear there was a rest for the chi...
Read more

David Brainerd quotes...

During a sermon at camp, youth pastor Jeremy King of CC Vista suggested The Life and Diary of David Brainerd , compiled by Jonathan Edwards. I was able to purchase this book on alibris.com (great for rare or out of print books; for Christian books in print I use christianbook.com ) So far it has been an interesting read of Edwards and Brainerd, two men whose devotion and piety towards God are rarely seen among professing followers of Christ and from whose example I fall woefully short. A couple of quotes resonated in my heart: " I wanted not the favor of man to lean upon; for I knew Christ's favor was infinitely better, and that it was no matter when, nor where, nor how Christ should send me, nor what trials He should still exercise me with, if I might be prepared for His work and will " (pg. 79). On the day of his 24th birthday (David only lived to 29 years of age) he writes, " Oh, how much mercy have I received the year past! How often has God caused His goodn...
Read more