New TBN Special Examines 'The Rise of Artificial Intelligence' and How It Might Impact the Church
Artificial Intelligence or AI is seen by many to be a brave new frontier of technology, one that will make our day to day lives simpler, easier, and more efficient. Yet for all the benefits this technological revolution promises, there is a growing concern among tech experts, lawmakers, and faith leaders that if this technology falls into the wrong hands the results could be detrimental, dire, and quite possibly change the course of humanity forever.
In his latest special, The Rise of Artificial Intelligence, airing on TBN, Tuesday, September 5th at 8 pm ET, journalist Erick Stakelbeck joins a panel of experts to discuss the benefits and potential dangers of AI and what it could mean for the Church.
I recently sat down with Stakelbeck to discuss the advantages of Artificial Intelligence, practical tips on how we can best manage the integration of AI into our everyday lives, and what the potential implications might be for the Church.
If you were trying to encourage a friend or family member to tune in and watch your new TBN special, The Rise of Artificial Intelligence what would you say to them? What would your sales pitch be?
Well, Chris, AI is perhaps the issue of our times, and I don't say that lightly. Over the past few months, this issue in particular has exploded. It seems all that everyone is talking about is AI. And I would tell people, this is going to profoundly change the way we live. And some people say it's going to change the course of world history. That is not an exaggeration. It's interesting, in researching this special and conducting interviews for it, one of the tech experts I interviewed said, “Look, AI has already changed our lives in many ways.” We've already been using it. Just the average person, not even tech gurus. Think about how many people use Alexa and Siri, or the recommendations on Amazon or Netflix, or the Maps app on your iPhone. Those are kind of smaller, more rudimentary versions of artificial intelligence.
Where it's heading right now is potentially a sinister place, I'm sad to say with chatGPT and the advent of that, and the growing popularity, AI is taking on more of an autonomous kind of identity where it can almost think for itself. And the big question is who controls AI? Many of these programs are controlled by people who are definitely ideologically on the left, who are in many cases hostile to Christianity. Then on the other hand, you have American adversaries, China or Russia. They don't have the kind of guardrails, morals and ethics that we have here in the United States. So, there are potentially some dangerous implications.
Before we jump into all potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence, let's talk about all the benefits that AI possesses. It would potentially save an organization a lot of money. For example, why have a staff member or two conduct work on a project when chatGPT could do the same exact thing for virtually no cost?
Absolutely, and I'm not trying to be doom and gloom. Look, there are absolute benefits. The thing that concerns me, obviously, is this falling into the wrong hands. Right now, it looks like there's a good possibility of that. But the benefits are potentially endless. Something like you just mentioned, or even a simple rudimentary thing like the Maps app on your phone, that's a nice thing to have. That's AI. In academia, I think in many ways people are going to use AI as a research tool. Even doctors in some cases, some people are even talking about getting second opinions from AI in terms of medical issues. So, I think we're just learning now about all the different directions it can go. I think the possibilities are really limitless.
Now, if you are more of a secular humanist type, that's very exciting to you because AI is almost becoming this God-like entity. I just saw the new Mission Impossible movie with Tom Cruise. It was a great flick with a lot of action, but AI was basically the main villain as this AI system. And I don't want to give it away, but the beginning of the movie has a really interesting AI theme too. But you have folks like that. I think of a guy like Yuval Harari. If our listeners don't know who that is, he's a world renowned Israeli academic. He's very close to the World Economic Forum and Klaus Schwab and all these folks who want a great reset in the United States. He said recently that AI can basically rewrite the Bible and AI can create a new all inclusive religion.
On the surface, I can see a lot of benefit for the Church to use artificial intelligence in some capacity. What does AI mean for the Church?
Well, this is a very interesting question because right now we've heard reports of some pastors allowing AI to actually write their sermon. It's that intelligent. It's an autonomous entity also. Back in June, in Germany, we had the world's first ever AI generated church service where a sermon was given. This was in Bavaria. A sermon was given, written completely by artificial intelligence, and it was delivered by an AI avatar on a big screen. It wasn't a real person, it was an AI generated image, an avatar delivering an AI generated sermon.There were mixed reviews. Some said, “Oh, I loved that. It was so true to life.” And others said, “Well, it didn't quite have the heart.” Naturally it didn't have a heart, because AI does not have a soul, and it does not have a heart.
So, this conversation is going in so many wild ways where people are actually asking some thinkers and philosophical types. In my research for the special, I came across people actually saying, “Well, if AI is an autonomous entity, can AI be saved? Can we preach the gospel to AI?” And I said, wow, this is really going in a crazy direction now. Because at the end of the day, AI is not flesh and blood. It doesn't have a soul. It's not created in God's image, obviously. It sounds wild but these are some of the conversations being bandied about right now. And I think the key point for believers is if AI is controlled and programmed by people who are hostile to Christianity, what does that mean? That's a big question.
Do you have any practical tips on how we can best manage the integration of this advanced technology into our lives?
I think as Christians, because this technology is not going anywhere, it's only going to expand and become more and more of a factor. It seems likely in our daily lives and in the world, especially in the competition between great powers like the United States, China, Russia, Iran, and others. I think as believers, we have a duty to at least be aware of it. We don't need to be AI experts, but we need to know the basic functions of it.
Okay. How does this operate? And we hope to share this on the special on TBN on September 5th, to give people the basics. This is what AI is. And I started with the first guest that we interviewed, I asked, what is AI? A lot of people at home hear that term bandied about, and they think of the Terminator in science fiction. But they don't really know what it is. So, we boil it down to its barest essence. And I think for believers, we need to have a basic understanding of it. Just like when the Internet came along and people became web savvy eventually. Then they learned how to navigate social media and learned to navigate an iPhone. These were not really tech savvy people who learned to navigate it.
I think we need some really smart, tech savvy Christians in the U.S. and around the world to be working overtime right now in trying to find ways where we can use it for the common good and for the Kingdom. I think that's the big, big question. We can’t run away from this. We need to be able to use it in a way that benefits the Body of Christ.
Do you ever see a day where artificial intelligence will control our everyday lives?
I think in terms of it being used by the wrong people. Say the Antichrist or any tyrant, they can employ AI and utilize it in many ways to control our lives. The main way would be through surveillance and watching your every step, your every transaction, your every message, your every text message, your every move on social media, what you spend your money on, all of it. Those kinds of technologies can certainly be used by a tyrant to help to aid him or her in controlling our daily lives, without a doubt. The potential is there, and again, I don't want to scare people and be doom and gloom because as you've done a great job of pointing out in our conversation, there are benefits. And throughout history, believers have been able to use every new technology to the benefit of the church and to the benefit of Christianity. And I truly believe we've got some very, very smart followers of Jesus out there right now who are saying, “Wow, I can use AI to do X, Y, and Z and God willing, bring millions and millions of people into the Kingdom for such a time as this.
After people have had a chance to watch ‘The Rise of Artificial Intelligence’ what would you like to see your audience get out of the viewing experience? What is your greatest hope for the show?
I think number one, do a little bit of research. You don't have to become an AI expert, but I want people to come away from this special saying, “Now, I understand.” I had heard so much about AI, I had kind of a rudimentary understanding, where I asked myself how it could potentially impact our lives and what the pitfalls are. What the potential benefits are. I need to be more aware of this and just know what's going on and know even how to use it a little bit in a rudimentary sense. And lastly, how can I use AI as this really begins to develop ,to spread the Gospel? I don't want people to walk away fearful, and I don't think they will, because God still sits on the throne. We make that clear throughout the special. And the great thing is we have a healthy dose of Biblical encouragement throughout the special, including two great pastors who join us to share their thoughts on it. So, I think people will walk away aware, a little concerned, but ultimately saying, “Okay, God's on the throne.”
WATCH A TRAILER FOR THE RISE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:
