Thoughts about Artificial Intelligence

There are a lot of things that are happening within this country and around the world that can occupy our attention, such as the war between Israel and Hamas or the political circus within America. I am afraid that some of us are so preoccupied with the daily news cycle that we are missing the discussions around artificial intelligence (AI).

I don’t intend this article to be anything other than a notice that alerts us about AI and the reason that we should be concerned about it. Out of all of the technological advances, none are permeated with more hope or hype than AI. Billionaire technologist, Marc Andreesen, claims that AI is literally going to save the world. Not God but artificial intelligence (AI)!

Those that believe in the God of this creation will find Andreesen’s statement to be preposterous. Only God can save what He has created. It is thoughts like those of Andreesen that has led President Biden and members of Congress to investigate AI.

AI is nothing short of man’s quest for wisdom. AI is at its core a prediction engine that sorts through data and arrives at decisions. Generative models of AI are already predicting the next word or thought or image. AI is presently helping people make data driven decisions and algorithms that power everything from smart homes to lethal weapon systems.

The decisions that AI is making brings with it an ethical concern. WE should be concerned that the mechanisms or decisions generated are not capable of making sound moral or ethical judgements. We should also be concerned about whether AI will be unbiased or lack racist decisions.

The ultimate purpose of modern AI is to use data in a quest for wisdom that will be making decisions for humans. If the technology is going to make good and just decisions, it needs to draw from the source of wisdom that is revealed in the Bible. “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, asked God, who gives to all” (James 1:5).

We must ask ourselves the question, are we willing to live in a world that is driven by decisions made by AI that lacks the heart of Godly ethics? Microsoft’s Brad Smith, perhaps mindful that AI ethics is too heavy a lift for technologists alone, has invited religious voices into the Ai conversation. I am afraid that AI that does not incorporate Godly ethics or morals within its applications, will be fraught with evil.

Rev. Reuben J. Boyd Jr