Day 86 - God and AI

Artificial Intelligence and AGI (Generative AI) is one of the latest technical innovations to impact our lives but, as Christians, how should we respond to this technology?

AI is already all around us and we are likely to be using it, whether we know it (like it), or not. Every time we do a Google search, AI will be used to assemble and display the search results. Each time you ask Alexa a question it will be analysing your speech to interpret and respond to your request. Our media supplier of choice already uses AI to present us with suggested viewing given our past choices. If you are unlucky enough to need to talk to utility supplier you are likely to end up interacting with an AI ‘agent’ with auto generated text or speech.

Graphic AI tools can be used to generate either static or moving images which are getting very good at mimicking reality. But this is where the real problem lies. All of these technologies are mimicking reality. They are not capable of appreciating who they are dealing with, or even whether it’s responses are appropriate.

AI systems are ‘trained’ by comparing its response to that which a human is most likely to respond to, given the same question, text or picture. The model is refined by repeatedly adjusting internal values until the results are sufficiently similar. In this way its responses to a given problem tend towards the most likely human response based on the responses of all of those humans who were used to train it. Unfortunately, this will include any of their inherent failings, biases or prejudices. By the very nature of the process, when we ask it a question, we are getting a very human response.

This is all well and good if we are asking it for the best place to buy a new vacuum cleaner but it may not be so harmless if we were asking it about an important life changing decision.

If we require it to respond to a problem it has not encountered before, this can cause interesting results, such as an autonomously driven car unable to drive past a traffic cone which has fallen on its side.

Unfortunately, in our increasingly secular society, more people are turning to AI to advise them about life choices. The danger with these systems is how much we rely on them and also on their ability to directly impact human life.

Our daily interactions with these systems means that they are able to determine our religious and political preferences as well as our buying and viewing habits. They could be said to know us better than we know ourselves. This may not be a problem with our present society but could be an issue in the future, with a government that is hostile to our beliefs or political persuasion. At the very least, these systems are designed to make money, to influence our decisions and possibly even control our actions.

We could compare our interactions with AI with prayers made to almighty God. With prayer we have the privilege to interact directly with a loving God (without even turning on our phone!). We know that His response will always be appropriate and be given with understanding, love and compassion. We know that His response will be honest and true. He knows us better than we know ourselves and His only agenda is to both give and receive love.

There is no doubt that AI can offer solutions to problems that are beyond the ability and knowledge of most individuals. Problems arise when we give AI more influence and authority than is safe. If it is ever given the power over life and death, it’s choices will certainly not be based on love and compassion.

I believe this a case of “Rendering unto Caesar, the things that are Caesars and unto God, the things that are God’s”. So, use AI with care but leave the important choices for God to advise.

Steve Horton