Thought for Today
Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.
Exodus 14:25 He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."
Ezekiel 10:13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing "the wheelwork."
John 3:17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Mark 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.
It is hard today to watch the news, read the news or listen to the news without encountering something about AI. There is almost no subject that is not somehow affected by or influenced by AI. Yet, on many days for many of us, it seems as though there is very little evidence around us of any intelligence, artificial or natural. On those days, I find myself thinking that any evidence of intelligence must be artificial.
One of the most common stories currently in vogue is the idea that AI will eliminate humanity. It is not a new idea. Hollywood capitalized on that idea years ago. Movies like War Games, Terminator, and The Matrix all are based on the idea of AI as a threat to the existence of humanity. Even before that, the robot series of novels by Isaac Asimov dealt with the dangers of androids and famously included in their narrative the Laws of Robotics.
Even before the development of computers and robotics, however, the fear of technology was common. “Alfred Bernhard Nobel . . . was a Swedish chemist, inventor, engineer, and businessman. Nobel is known for inventing dynamite, as well as having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes.” (en.wikipedia.org) Many people believed that dynamite would eventually destroy the world. “The Luddites were members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who protested the usage of certain types of automated machinery owing to their concerns over worker pay, labour savings, child labour, working conditions, and output quality. They often destroyed production machines in organised raids.” (ibid)
The 19th century saw the spread of the Industrial Revolution and the beginning of our modern age of manufacturing. Combined with the Enlightenment, this ultimately led to today’s era of advanced computers, AI and the fear of AI.
It is easy to forget that technology, in and of itself, is neither evil nor dangerous. Evil existed long before technology. Cain did not require any technology to kill Abel. The Egyptian army chasing Moses had advanced technology, chariot wheels. The technology did not allow that army to defeat and capture the fleeing slaves.
The Roman Empire was a global superpower. The Roman Army developed great technological expertise in road building and construction. Some of their technology was so advanced we cannot reproduce it today, e.g. the ability to form and pour concrete underwater. The Roman Army did not require any technology, however, to crucify Jesus or any of the other conquered people they suppressed. All they needed was a wooden structure, a hammer and some nails. Great as the Romans were, they could not stop the message of God’s love for God’s Creation and for God’s people. When Jesus was crucified, probably circa 30 CE (AD), Christianity, those following Jesus, was not a ‘legal’ religion within the Roman Empire. In 313 CE (AD), the emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan ending persecution of Christians and himself converting to Christianity. In 380 CE (AD) the emperor “Theodosius 1 issued the Edict of Thessalonica, declaring Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire.” (AI Overview)
One of the first phrases I learned in Greek was μὴ φοβοῦ (may phahbou). It is a “verb imperative present middle 2nd person singular” (Friberg, Analytical Greek Lexicon) and thus a command meaning “Do not fear.” Jesus said these words frequently to his disciples. Jesus also reminded his disciples that forecasts of wars, destruction and devastation are not uncommon as in Mark 13:7 above. Technology and its use in warfare have been paired for millennia. WWII was waged with technology that today seems crude and mostly obsolete.
Will AI destroy humanity? Can AI destroy humanity? Should AI destroy humanity? The danger is not AI, the danger is us. Pogo famously noted, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” The answer to it all, as it has been since the beginning, is love. Love God; love your neighbor; act like it.
Live lives of love, do not fear, trust God,
Pastor Ray