Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become increasingly ubiquitous through the commonality of online free portals like ChatGPT, Grok (on X, formerly known as Twitter), and others. What are Christians to think about these new technologies? How are we to interact with them?
“There is nothing new under the sun.”
Of course, in some ways, AI is new—and astonishingly so. The ability of AI to appear to think (whether it is, in fact, doing so is another question; more on that in a moment), the astonishing speed with which it summarizes data found across the internet, and the fact that it's used in many ways beyond merely informational—all are quite new.
But, on the other hand, there is nothing new under the sun. New technologies are, well, not new. Every time society faces a dramatic new development, apocalyptic predictions of impending doom surface. The Industrial Revolution generated luddite concerns – and for good reason. AI has generated its fair share of predictions of imminent disaster facing the human race. It is well to remind ourselves of Jesus’ warning, “And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet” (Mark 13:7).
“Be innocent as doves but canny as snakes”
Jesus’ famous advice to his missionaries is a principle that applies widely to how Christians are to conduct themselves in the world. With AI, new temptations arise: the temptation to cheat on term papers for students, the temptation to not do your own research but trust a machine to do it for you, and the temptation to think less, under the assumption that AI’s thinking is accurate. These temptations are to be avoided.
On the other hand, the new AI technology is remarkable and can be used for good. Need a brief summary of physical therapy treatments for a twisted ankle? AI can probably provide a reasonable and rapid summary. Need help building a new website? I’m told AI, in some manifestation or other, can do that sort of thing. Other functions can be automated.
That said, there are dangers too. These will require new thinking and foresight. For instance, using old technology as an example, just because you can take a car and drive to most destinations, does not mean you always should. The human body needs to be exercised. Just because you can take an elevator to the third floor doesn’t mean you always should. It makes sense to take the stairs to get your steps in. And with AI, just because you can ask it a question and have it help you think something through for you, doesn’t mean you should. After all, part of the purpose of thinking is to, well, think, not to just be provided with what to think.
“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind”
What does it mean to “think”? Christian sanctification, becoming more like Jesus, involves having our minds transformed. To be renewed in our mind, our feelings, and our thinking. As remarkable as some of the AI technology is, it cannot get into your mind and rearrange the synapses by itself. You must engage with thoughts, ideas, and truth, so that by the work of the Spirit, your mind is increasingly transformed.
If anything, the advent of AI should be a wakeup call for us to read more (not less), to think more (not less), to study the Bible more (not less). AI reflects the content it can find on the internet. Sometimes it is surprisingly inaccurate. I was amused to discover that when I asked it when I, “Dr Josh Moody”, had written it, got some of the books right, but some of them surprisingly wrong. It knew who I was – it had my bio right – but it thought (that work – thought) I had written books which I had not. Then again, when I asked it, for laughs, to provide a roast for Dr Josh Moody, it had me laughing out loud as it good humoredly poked fun at my tendency to overwork. It was funny in a sort of scarily accurate way.
None of this, though, replaces our thinking – even when we use AI in accord with best practices – but at most supplements our thinking. Will AI be a new technology like e-books, which manifestly have failed to take over the place of physical books because many people like to read a book as a way to get away from a screen? Or will it be more like cars, which took over the place of horses, entirely for the purpose of regular travel in most modern countries, but not at all in terms of the prestigious horse races around the world? It’s hard to tell right now. But one way or another, we will still need to think, and to think Christianly or in a Christ-centered way.
“Do Not Give Up Meeting Together”
As technological developments seem to be increasing exponentially, it is ever more important that we commit to the organic reality of the local church. An embodied existence, a physical presence with spiritual engagement, real fellowship, being known and knowing—all these elements of life that the body of Christ offers when it gathers—all this becomes increasingly important as technology increases.
So, let us summarize it this way: Don’t let artificial intelligence distract you from organic intelligence, spiritual transformation through the Word of God, or the embodied reality of the local church.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/fizkes
