Normally, I am an early adopter of technology. I don’t adopt in the alpha- or beta- phase, but I am usually drawn to the promise and opportunity new tech offers. There is a lot of talk about AI right now. The functionality and accuracy of these Large Language Models (LLMs) are accelerating at a faster pace than anyone imagined. However, I am less optimistic about this technology than I usually am about the newest thing.
As with all technology, AI is a tool. It does not possess an intrinsic morality, and it can certainly be used to enhance our lives. Behind the promise, though, I fear something ominous lurks. (This is not the point where I reveal the plot of a new movie where the villain threatening to take over the world is a self-aware docile-sounding but malevolent bot) When it comes to AI, It would be wise for us to think carefully before adopting thoughtlessly.
People carelessly trust an LLM instead of acquiring knowledge for themselves. In doing so, they lose the ability to discern the difference between a trusted and an unreliable source. Digital relationships with chatbots replace embodied relationships, but these chatbots have no soul, and therefore cannot meet the need for genuine relationship for which human beings are hard-wired.
During this Holy Week, we celebrate Jesus dying and rising again bodily. God sent a human being to Earth to reveal Himself —God in the flesh. He did not send a chatbot. The church is a body of which Jesus is the Head. Embodiment is central to God’s redemption plan.
Some have said, “AI will make sermon prep and bible study much easier.” I am extremely leery about this approach! Do we trust LLMs to ease the burden of the hard work needed to study and deliver God’s Word?
The Holy Spirit inspired men to write down God’s revelation in Scripture for people to read. When it comes to the Bible, Paul reminds Timothy to “Study to show yourself approved…” (2 Tim. 2:15). Alternate translations of that statement read “Be diligent” or “Work hard.” Paul himself, writing to the Colossians, shares his approach to the Scripture and ministry. “Him we proclaim…For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Col. 1:28-29). Studying God’s Word requires effort.
For me, the privilege of proclaiming God’s truth from God’s Word to God’s people is too important to risk a shortcut and short-circuiting the necessary effect of hard work in the process.
So, I am giving this disclaimer. Not only have I never used AI to shorten my sermon prep, I am committed to avoiding it until we understand more fully the ethical and practical implications of these LLMs.
More than that, you can be certain that if you get a personal interaction from me in a digital format, it will be authentic not created by AI.
Curious to read more? This article argues why you should care:
https://blessedendurance.substack.com/p/why-i-dont-want-my-pastor-to-use