Hello and welcome to Beauty, the no-frills, no-nonsense podcast about all things beauty. True Beauty. God’s Beauty. I am your host, Deanna, and today we are going to talk about artificial intelligence.
I know. I know. Yesterday was the Fourth of July and in the days leading up to the it, I felt like every podcaster had something to say about it - and I was completely annoyed. Well, unless you have been living on Mars, I am about to annoy you with AI talk – because AI talk is everywhere. AI has been evolving quite rapidly, probably too rapidly, and I don’t think it is going to slow down. If you are a writer or creator of any sort – you may be a little nervous.
In my opinion, we are being tempted to taste bits of AI here and there. It is always presented as useful and good, but I suspect it might lead to a downward spiral of full-on acceptance. Eventually, that can also mean putting a creator out of a job. I think AI will target non-fiction writers, specifically. Of course, it can’t write about a personal experience, but if you are working in your passion and skillset, you could be easily bumped by this technology.
There is no doubt this is a battle for our mind – and our mind starts with our heart. Proverbs 4:23 encourages us with these words: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
What does all of this have to do with AI? I’m glad you asked.
We need to keep our focus on God and not on the fancy technology. We have to tend to our heart and not be led astray. To be very clear, I am not declaring AI evil. We use AI when we drive to unfamiliar places. We use AI when we search the internet for information. When we use programs to help us with spelling or idea generation, we are being a little lazy, but we’re also employing AI technology. I am simply saying we need to be careful. AI has the capability of producing some decent stuff, but, in my opinion, it lacks depth. It is a computer program. It can’t connect with its readers the way a human can connect.
That is a problem for me.
I think that is part of the problem in our world – individualism and shallowness, but that is another episode. Today, I just want to encourage you to think about AI from a Christian perspective. It can be a useful tool. But is cannot replace a human, and I think that needs to be a consideration in how we choose to use it.
I can’t help but think about the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. This story takes place after the flood. They find a place to settle and determine to stick together. Instead of enlarging their land, they decide to simply protect what they have and make it great.
“Tents served God’s subjects to dwell in; cities were first built by those that were rebels against him and revolters from him.”
Matthew Henry
So, they encourage each other to make bricks and build a city for themselves. Their goal was to build a tower to reach heaven, and in doing so, they thought they could make a name for themselves. They were willing to trust a tower they built with their own sweat and tears over God’s promise for provision and protection. Oh, how foolish…and I wonder if we, too, are being foolish.
Their brick is our technology.
Once again, I don’t think AI is 100% evil, I just think we need to consider our intentions when using it. As a kid, whenever I had a problem, my mom would say, “God gave you a brain…” She didn’t solve the problem for me or give me the answers I wanted to hear, she encouraged me to use my own brain to figure things out. She taught me to ask questions and seek truth. Whether I couldn’t find my shoes or I needed to work through a particular issue, I was forced to think – and I believe it would be wise of us to do the same with the advances of AI. God gave us a brain. It’s a beautiful thing when we use it.
Do you have any concerns with the use of AI technology?
D 😊
