“The Threat of Artificial Intelligence to Faith and Humanity: Redefining the Soul in a Digital Age”

In 1854  George Boole firmly established “the Laws of Thought on Which are Founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probabilities”. In 1927 John McCarthy, a computer scientist, co-authored a document at a conference at Dartmouth College where the term Artificial Intelligence (A.I) was created. HOBBES’s  in his treatise Elements of Philosophy, said reasoned thought — was, at heart, “computation.”    Some believe the body is no more than evolved cells that communicate via equally evolved nerves.   The body is no more that the equivalent of springs and joints.  With these two ideas, that the brain is no more than addition and subtraction and the body just springs and joints, then one should be able to build a “human.”  Gathering information from everywhere in the world A.I. has the potential for near infinite memory and information storage. Self-created algorithms allow these more than machines to “think.”  Where is the human in all of this? 

This type of development holds many dangers for religion and Christianity.  A.I. coupled with Virtual Reality –the ability to create your own artificial self and the environment around you— will further erode one’s concept of self and what being human really is. It will further lead one to confuse their own identity.  The essence of being human is found in the God given spirit that God breathed into man.  Hence, man is capable of God’s attributes of love.  Man consists of more than logical reason. The impersonal A.I. encourages man to ignore emotions like compassion, empathy, and love. A.I. redefines the soul as nothing more than the switching of 1’s and 0’s

Many in the A. I. field including Elon Musk have been warning of the dangers of A.I. for some time. [i]

A.I.  provides A.I. functioning robots to replicate themselves.  It is very possible A.I. would first conceive of the ideals of Christianity as a threat to their existence and seek to eliminate all aspects of Christianity.  Of course this would not be the first time that has happened. Persecution follows true Christianity, the gospel message and evangelism.  No ruler would have had the power of A.I. in their hands that A.I. provides. Musk believes A.I may destroy civilization itself.

If you rely on the “superior” intelligence of A.I instead of the teachings and Wisdom of the Word, you can easily be led into error.   Other dangers include Loss of critical thinking; independent decision making; erosion of respect for human life and autonomy; manipulation by other people and ideologies; confusion about what is moral and what is not; inappropriate attachment to artificially created human-like robots; lack of accountability for actions taken; job displacement, loss of human connections, lack of purpose for living; and lack of  personal freedom and privacy.

Do you recall the movie 2000 ( sorry if you were too young) and the computer HAL who in his superior intelligence controlled the spaceship and the humans within it?  A.I. has the danger of completely controlling mankind. Perhaps the greatest danger to Christianity is not even that.  Do you remember the Delphi Oracle which was communicated to by the Greek God Athena? She would be able to foretell anything. A.I. could quickly become a substitute for God.  A.I. could rapidly become an idol, substituting the wisdom of A.I for the Wisdom of God.

[i] Elon Musk warns AI could cause ‘civilization destruction’ even as he invests in it | CNN Business