The Responsibility of using AI
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing in the areas of research, study, and search functionalities. Its use is similar to that of the Internet, mobile phones, television, or computers. But it is unique compared to other digital devices because it has the ability to generate devotionals, sermons, outlines, study guides, essays, academic theses, prayers, and solve mathematical problems—saving the user a great deal of time. So, how can a believer in Jesus Christ use artificial intelligence? The answer centers on our approach to using these digital tools. This requires discipline and discernment.
Theologian John Piper said in his TGC25 sermon, “The computer makes words, it feels nothing” — I AGREE! Using artificial intelligence to create faith-based content does not glorify God because it is a machine that has no emotions or heart. As believers, God has regenerated our hearts for worship and His glory. As followers of Christ, we praise God with all our mind, heart, and strength—a machine does not have this capacity. Artificial intelligence cannot produce worship because it lacks the ability to feel worship; it can produce words, but it does not know the worship that comes from within man. It can give you a prayer in words, but it cannot give reverence to God; it can give you a written piece on repentance, but it does not know what it means to turn away from sin. Like many digital tools, it can be used to glorify God—or for evil.
It’s about having the discipline to use artificial intelligence as a tool for the glory of God. In this, it is comparable to other digital devices and similar times. For example, the access and development of digital media such as television and mobile phones also created uncertainty among believers. Dr. Jon D. Payne, professor at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, notes in his article titled “Technology and the Christian” that technology is part of today’s culture and the Christian must “live circumspectly, walking with God with care, purpose, and wisdom.”
Tim Challies, whom I admire in the world of writing and blogging, wrote a book on this titled “The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion.” He reflects on the use of technology and our dependence on it, asking: “Am I losing control of my life? Is it possible that these technologies are changing me? Am I becoming a tool of the very tools that are supposed to serve me?” This is the kind of reflection we should have—not just with digital tools like mobile devices or the Internet—but also in the age of artificial intelligence. Ephesians 5:15 tells us to look carefully at how we walk, not as unwise but as wise. So then, as believers, we have the urgency to examine every digital tool around us, reflecting on whether everything we do is for the glory of God.
Artificial intelligence, like television and the Internet, is a gift from God in His grace that can be useful for advancing the Kingdom of God and helping us grow intellectually. However, it requires discipline and discernment. Just as you can use television or the Internet for sin, artificial intelligence can also be easily used for the same. One way to examine ourselves is to ask: Are we using the tool of artificial intelligence with integrity and for the glory of God? (1 Corinthians 10:31).
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