What Is the Christian Response to Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

In one sentence, AI refers to computers that emulate human intelligence.

To make it even simpler, AI is a computer that is programmed to do something that humans could do anyway, but faster and more efficiently.

Its arrival has aroused the suspicions of some who do not trust the potentially dangerous technology.

• Will an AI Frankenstein eventually be created that will clone one-million versions of himself and take over the world?

For others, however, AI is being praised for its "Chat Bot"(Chat GPT) that can respond to questions and compose various written content, including articles, social media posts, essays, code and emails.

In other words, your secretary can now be a robot.

But imagine the world without Artificial Intelligence or computers.

• Who gave Bezalel the intelligence to be a master craftsman with gold, silver, and bronze? (Exodus 31)

• How did Esther formulate the perfect plan and articulate the right words that prevented her people from being annihilated? (Esther chapters 4 and 5)

• Where did Isaiah get the naturopathic knowledge to concoct a remedy that healed Hezekiah's life threatening boil? (Isaiah 38)

They relied on the One who is far greater than AI... The One who created the world and everything in it... The infinite One who created the finite human minds behind AI technology... The One who our forefathers and foremothers relied on.

They relied on God, the Source of wisdom and giver of knowledge.

And He is the same God today.

Regardless of modern technology advancements, God's people should always rely on Him.

Let's dive deeper...

AI's Chat GPT can give a plausible answer to virtually any question, produce life advice, and even write Bible based content almost instantaneously.

And there lies the problem.

In 2 Kings 1, Ahaziah made the grave mistake of inquiring of Baal-zebub, the pagan god of Ekron, instead of the only true and living God of heaven.

Well, the God of heaven is the God of all today who believe in Jesus for salvation.

Believers should not make the same costly mistake of relying first, or solely, on Artificial Intelligence (or any technology).

Instead, we should be like Bezalel, Esther, Isaiah and many others in the Bible who, hundreds and thousands of years before Artificial Intelligence, relied on God.

God wants us to seek Him first and promised to give us the best possible outcomes if we come to Him based on a very simple formula.

Here is the formula...

1. Trust Him

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

God knows the end of our life before it even starts and is the only one who, regardless of technology, can give us the wisdom to achieve the best possible outcomes.

In contrast, everything behind AI is human driven.

There is a person, or persons, somewhere inputting the information.

This means that the biases of the programmer are reflected in the program, which can lead to manipulated information and outcomes contrary to God's path for us.

For example: I typed in "God vs. Artificial Intelligence" in an AI content creator and got this message, "Offensive content. This request can’t be completed because the content may violate OpenAI’s content policy."

The human or humans who input the information to that AI program seem to have a bias against God.

That brings us to the next step...

2. Seek Him

Proverbs 3:6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

We should invite God into our everyday life, in the important decisions and also in the mundane things that happen every day.

Whether it is a business plan or college essay, if we invite Him in, He can give us the wisdom necessary to set us apart.

For example: God can give us the wisdom and sensitivity on the job to deal with human quirks in real-time that an AI model cannot provide.

Step 3...

3. Fear the LORD

Proverbs 3:7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.

Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

What does fearing God have to do with AI?

"Transhumanists" are so impressed with AI that they claim it will turn humans into gods.

Also, there are stories surfacing of scammers using AI to clone voices.

Those are just some examples of "being impressed by our own wisdom," which leads to evil.

Fearing the Lord, however, is the natural result of trusting God.

As we trust Him, we come to know Him better, leading to natural reverence and awe... And as we trust Him more, we are drawn more to Him and further from evil.

Therefore, if Christians use AI then it should be done with the fear of God in mind and in a way that brings glory to Him.

As a bonus, when we fear the Lord and depart from evil the next verse promises, "Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones." (Proverbs 3:8)

That brings us face to face with the close connection between our moral and spiritual condition and our physical health.

AI helps us work faster. God helps us become better.

Only God can give our mind wisdom for the task at hand and heal our soul of fear, sorrow, envy, resentment, hatred, guilt, and other emotional stresses.

Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

Regardless of what comes of AI, if you come to Jesus and confess with your mouth that He is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

You will receieve the rest that only He can give, which is ultimately the best possible outcome.

May the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you.