Christians and AI

I have recently been doing quite a bit of research on Artificial intelligence (AI) and the role it will have on pastors and churches moving forward.

It has been fascinating to see the rate of adoption of AI in our culture today.
It took Netflix 3.5 years to reach 1 million users
It took Twitter (now known as X) 1 year to reach 1 million users
It took Facebook 10 months to reach 1 million users.
It took Spotify 5 months to reach 1 million users.
It took Instagram 2.5 months to reach 1 million users.

How long did it take ChatGPT, an AI language model tool developed by OpenAI, to reach 1 million users?

AI is part of our everyday world. Whether it is Siri, Netflix, or online shopping, we interact with AI whether we like it or not.
For some, AI is scary. We have seen so many science fiction movies that we are worried about machines taking over the world. Some are excited and running full steam ahead into the arms of AI, while a lot of us just aren’t sure what to make of AI and are struggling to understand the ethical implications of using AI in school, work, and life.

The term artificial intelligence (AI) was coined in 1956 by the American computer scientist John McCarthy, who defines it as, “getting a computer to do things which, when done by people, are said to involve intelligence.” There is no standard definition of what constitutes AI, though, because there is a lack of agreement on what constitutes intelligence and how it relates to machines.

According to McCarthy, “Intelligence is the computational part of the ability to achieve goals in the world. Varying kinds and degrees of intelligence occur in people, many animals, and some machines.” Human intelligence includes such capabilities as logic, reasoning, conceptualization, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, planning, creativity, abstract thinking, and problem-solving. A machine is generally considered to use AI if it is able to perform in a way that matches these abilities.  (Joe Carter)

The two general categories of AI are general and narrow.

General AI (or “strong AI”) is the capability of a machine to perform many or all of the intellectual tasks a human can do, including the ability to understand context and make judgments based on it. This type of AI currently does not exist outside the realm of science fiction, though it is the ultimate goal of many AI researchers. Whether it is even possible to achieve general AI is currently unknown. But even if achieved, it is possible that such machines would likely not possess sentience (i.e., the ability to perceive one’s environment and experience sensations such as pain and suffering or pleasure and comfort).

Narrow AI (or “weak AI") is the capability of a machine to perform a more limited number and range of intellectual tasks a human can do. Narrow AI can be programmed to “learn” in a limited sense but lacks the ability to understand context. While different forms of AI functions can be strung together to perform a range of varied and complex tasks, such machines remain in the category of narrow AI. (Joe Carter)

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• God is in control, even over technology. 
• We can use technology to spread the Gospel and advance His Kingdom.
• We must consider how to honor God through our use of technology. We must not let it become an idol in our lives.