Last week I attended a day organised by the Norfolk Gospel Partnership exploring AI and its blessings and curses. The day was titled Artificial Intelligence - Authentic Wisdom. The day was led by Chris Green, whose blog can be found here
These are some of my take aways and reflections from the day:
1. We use word languages for AI.
2. AI has no inbuilt morality.
3. Things that we thought years to achieve: being an architect, lawyer, doctor, computer programmer can be done by AI in a few minutes. Things we think are easy, like catching a ball, it still finds incredibly difficult. We need to discover and learn what is left for human beings to be really good at. The jobs under threat are not currently those of factory workers, but estate agents. There will be a significant economic impact on the lives of individuals.
4. We explored (and were shown) how AI can take down minutes and summarise them, devise sermon series, produce the artwork and social media titles for the series, preach a sermon in a particular style, produce an order of service, choose hymns, write hymns and add music to them and even write prayers - all in a matter of seconds. AI could have produced what I am writing now in a several seconds, and it would be better than this. We used chat GPT
5. The sheer speed of the development of AI is overwhelming.
6. The things that are going to be important in the future are the issues of verification - checking that what AI is saying is true (although it is now much more accurate, in the same way that wikipedia is much more accurate after being corrected by millions of human beings), of knowing what questions to ask. One teacher, whose job is to think through the impact of AI on teaching, suggested to me that students in the future will not write essays, but be examined on what questions they would put to AI - and what follow up questions would they then ask AI. He also said that there would be more emphasis on learning to work in groups together with AI.
7. The real danger of AI is not just economic, but that it can be an incredibly powerful tool in the hands of malicious agents. It was used to produce vaccines for COVID. It could also be used to create viruses. There will also be the danger that we beome dependent on AI, making us vulnerable to power outages - although we are probably already at that stage.
8. AI will force us to rethink what it is to be human.
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| An image produced by AI |
These are some of my take aways and reflections from the day:
1. We use word languages for AI.
There is no 'cloud', no 'brain', no 'I' - even though AI, through Chat GPT, speaks in the 'I' form. It would be better if it was called not artificial intelligence but apparent intelligence
2. AI has no inbuilt morality.
It can be 'malicious' or 'benevolent', but has no will or common sense. Chris Green likened it to a really willing intern who completely lacks common sense
3. Things that we thought years to achieve: being an architect, lawyer, doctor, computer programmer can be done by AI in a few minutes. Things we think are easy, like catching a ball, it still finds incredibly difficult. We need to discover and learn what is left for human beings to be really good at. The jobs under threat are not currently those of factory workers, but estate agents. There will be a significant economic impact on the lives of individuals.
4. We explored (and were shown) how AI can take down minutes and summarise them, devise sermon series, produce the artwork and social media titles for the series, preach a sermon in a particular style, produce an order of service, choose hymns, write hymns and add music to them and even write prayers - all in a matter of seconds. AI could have produced what I am writing now in a several seconds, and it would be better than this. We used chat GPT
5. The sheer speed of the development of AI is overwhelming.
6. The things that are going to be important in the future are the issues of verification - checking that what AI is saying is true (although it is now much more accurate, in the same way that wikipedia is much more accurate after being corrected by millions of human beings), of knowing what questions to ask. One teacher, whose job is to think through the impact of AI on teaching, suggested to me that students in the future will not write essays, but be examined on what questions they would put to AI - and what follow up questions would they then ask AI. He also said that there would be more emphasis on learning to work in groups together with AI.
7. The real danger of AI is not just economic, but that it can be an incredibly powerful tool in the hands of malicious agents. It was used to produce vaccines for COVID. It could also be used to create viruses. There will also be the danger that we beome dependent on AI, making us vulnerable to power outages - although we are probably already at that stage.
8. AI will force us to rethink what it is to be human.
The difference between AI producing this list and myself, is that I have taken it into myself, been worried and excited by it, puzzled and confused. I have angsted about how people will read and receive this, and whether I have made stupid mistakes.
AI knows nothing of what it means to experience love and hate, fear and confidence, failure and success. It knows nothing about emotion or the things that come from being physical. It knows nothing of bereavement and suffering, of being vulnerable or lonely, of the shame of sin and guilt - and the glory that comes from knowing that we are beloved by a God who is beyond us, of being lost and then found, of forgiveness, peace and hope.
AI knows nothing of what it means to experience love and hate, fear and confidence, failure and success. It knows nothing about emotion or the things that come from being physical. It knows nothing of bereavement and suffering, of being vulnerable or lonely, of the shame of sin and guilt - and the glory that comes from knowing that we are beloved by a God who is beyond us, of being lost and then found, of forgiveness, peace and hope.
9. For Christians, if worship is about aesthetics or entertainment, then AI will produce something much better than any human can. If it is about teaching facts about the Bible and Christian tradition, it will do it better than any of us. But if worship is about listening to God, receiving from him, learning to become a disciple and follower of the Lord Jesus who loved us so much that he was physically crucified for us, and if it is about encountering God in communion, and each other in Holy Spirit community - then AI can help us in our thinking about that, but only as an assistant pointing the way.
In John 5, Jesus says to the religious leaders, “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life." If we are seeking life, then we might use AI, but the focus always has to be on an encounter with the risen Lord Jesus.
In John 5, Jesus says to the religious leaders, “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life." If we are seeking life, then we might use AI, but the focus always has to be on an encounter with the risen Lord Jesus.
Section 8 worried me most and I am pleased I have lived in the generation I have. I am terrified of AI implications. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteIt's not enough to just have an intellectual response to Jesus, it's being able to have an emotional response that allows us to have true faith. What an interesting day for you and, I suspect much thought for your future sermons!
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