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Subhead: Investigating artificial intelligence through a biblical lens.
Intro: What if someone said that a machine would be smarter and more fair than a human being at being the CEO of your organization? Governor of your state or province? You know we’re going to be needing to make some critical decisions as citizens, but what about as Christians? And as an ambassador, what do you do if someone asks?
Today we keep working through "Artificial Intelligence: A Statement of Principles” from The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, at least as a starting point for the discussion, and you can let me know what you need at hello@forthehope.com.
Bible segment (reading through with The Bible Project)
Isaiah 58-60, ESV (English Standard Version)
Apologetics segment: What would Jesus AI (artificial intelligence)?
My summary of what we’ve covered up to this point: (1)
Preamble: We’re called to engage the world, and we affirm that God has given us wisdom to approach issues such as AI in light of Scripture and the gospel message.
Article 1, Image of God: Human creativity is intended to reflect God’s creative pattern, but nothing (including technology) should ever be used to usurp or subvert the responsibility given us.
Article 2, AI as Technology: Tech can and should be used in ways that lead to greater flourishing, but it can’t ever atone for sin or fulfill humanity’s ultimate needs.
Article 3, Relationship of AI & Humanity: AI may excel in computation, but it’s incapable of moral agency or responsibility. Only humanity will be judged on the basis of our actions, and we alone bear the responsibility for moral decision making.
Article 4, Medicine: AI will bring advances to medical technologies that benefits people in manners consistent with loving our neighbor, but we should take care to reject the idea that the effects of the Fall – death and disease, can be eradicated apart from Jesus.
Article 5, Bias: Any tool, including AI, will inherently be subject to biases which we should seek to minimize or eliminate, including rejection of advancing any ideology seeking to subjugate human autonomy.
Article 6, Sexuality: Affirming God’s design for sexuality as an exclusive, lifelong, covenantal relationship between a man and a woman, we deny the pursuit of pleasure as justification and condemn the consequent objectification.
Article 7, Work: Work is part of God’s plan for human beings participating in the cultivation and stewardship of creation, but we deny that human worth and dignity is reducible to an individual’s economic contributions and/or that a life of pure leisure is laudable.
Take action segment
Your personal prayer-reading: Psalm 119:153-176
Are you a Wikipedia lover? Check out a new startup that looks to compete with (oddly enough) an AI-assisted tech. Much cleaner interface. And it’s clear they need some help in some Christian categories.
-R
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in tech-assisted communications, an award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. A five-time entrepreneur and certified John Maxwell Team leadership coach, he now is focused on launching For The Hope, a daily Bible and apologetics podcast and training organization equipping on-the-go Christian casemakers with confidence and courage for marketplace conversations. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources
(1) "Artificial Intelligence: A Statement of Principles," The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, April 11, 2019, accesses April 29, 2019, https://erlc.com/resource-library/statements/artificial-intelligence-an-evangelical-statement-of-principles.