Your God is not artificially intelligent, but the source of all intelligence (including yours).
It seems like we hear about it every minute of our lives these days. Some of us seemingly use it for everything! Some of us (like me) have used it very little. Nevertheless, we all have lots of questions about it. Just a few days ago, Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank fame debated Tucker Carlson about it. What am I talking about? Artificial Intelligence (AI), of course.
I’m not going to be able to break down all the “good, bad, and ugly” of AI. After all, I’m just a guy who works for a small organization dedicated to making sure you know Christ and him crucified. But I will do my best to write about the spiritual implications of AI, including its blessings, limitations, and potential curses for all of us.
The Blessings of AI
With AI you can find any Bible passage in about a second when searching with even the slightest hint of a word. You want to know what Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Lutherans, etc. believe? Ask AI, and in seconds you’ve got answers. Type in “the 50 greatest quotes from Church history,” and you’ll get suggestions in no time.
You can be really specific too. Ask AI what the differences are between Lutherans and Reformed Christians on the doctrine of election and it’ll get really granular in its response. And it’ll be pretty accurate. If you want it to, ask AI to write you a spy novel set in Hungary in the wake of World War I. It’ll do it in a couple minutes.
This is just the tip of the AI iceberg. You can get pretty amazing medical information, accounting details, legal data, and….the list could go on and on. We’ve never had a tool like this, and it is only getting more advanced! The sky is the limit. Or maybe we could say that, since AI data centers may someday be in space, the universe is the limit?
The Limitations of AI
There are also limitations to AI. It is set up by humans. It gets its information from humans, scraping the internet of all its resources for knowledge. Because it’s run by humans, it is designed to make a profit for humans (at least right now). That means it’s inherently flawed and biased since all humans are flawed and biased.
Spiritually speaking, it is designed to reflect back to you what you want to hear, based on your searches and interests. Just like social media’s algorithms, it will ultimately reinforce whatever beliefs, preferences, and desires you want it to reinforce.
Want it to tell you why Islam is wrong? Sure, it can do that. Want it to tell you why Charles Finney was a terrible influence on American Christianity (he was), it will do that too. AI will give you what you want to hear. And it’ll do a good job of it. Want it to make the best case for Islam or Charles Finney? Once again, that’s not a problem for AI. AI is the ultimate feedback loop. As much as AI’s advocates want to give it god-like characteristics (especially as it continues to advance), this can never be, because it’s merely a thing designed by fallen creatures.
The Curses of AI
This leads us to its curses. Spiritually speaking, AI will never be able to give you what you really need: the forgiveness of sins. Sure, if you want it to, it can tell you, “You’re forgiven.” But when you need to confess your sins, it can’t look you in the eyes like a pastor can and pronounce true absolution. It can’t have a vulnerable conversation with you, which ends in a call for you to repent. It can’t care for your soul through the preaching of law and gospel. It can’t baptize you in the name of the triune God, clothing you in the righteousness of Christ (Gal. 3). And it certainly cannot deliver to you the body and blood of Christ in bread and wine as a called pastor can.
Sure, AI can tell you whatever you want. But it can’t do it with any real authority. It’s just a machine. It won’t be with you when your life falls apart (and if one day, in the form of some robot, it tries to, it will always be a sad substitute). It can’t be there with you in the hospital when your child is sick, or heaven forbid, dying. It can’t pray through tears for your friend who took his own life. I could go on and on, but you get the point. AI is a tool. A powerful tool we’ve never seen the likes of. Use it for what it’s worth (or don’t). Either way, just remember it can’t ever be God. Because the God of the universe takes on real flesh and blood. Your God lived, died, and rose again for you. Your God in Christ intercedes for you even now. Your God is not artificially intelligent, but the source of all intelligence (including yours). He’s coming again to redeem his people soon for eternal life.
And no matter how advanced AI gets, it can never give that.
