Artificial Intelligence — Threat and Disappointment

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen

It seems like practically everywhere we turn, AI is in use. Some people consider it a tool, others a threat. We can interact with it unknowingly. My most frequent use is internet searches; AI gets the query, scours the web, and answers rapidly. Plus it gives links for research.

For the arts, I want material done by people. Sure, use computers and AI for small adjustments, but overall, make it human. A Christian hard rock channel on YouTube has at least eight "albums" by a fake band, and the write-up is deceptive.

Some businesses wanted to get rich from AI, but it backfired. People want the human touch. Also, people lose something by giving too much to AI idols.
AI Cyborg adored by mindless masses*
Some folks don't want AI writing and "performing" their music because it's sterile; it lacks...soul. The "band" mentioned above has Christian lyrics, but since so much material is cranked out, I lack belief that anyone is checking the lyrics for theological accuracy. Christian lyrics, even sermons, by AI should be of concern to Christians.

People dislike artificial intelligence in visual arts. For the most part, I shun AI-generated images. Yes, I have used it a few times so I could form my own intellectual content (when the generators render the images properly). For certain things, it can be an "artist" on demand.

Are those amazing videos that float around real or AI-generated?

I have talked about my preferences regarding AI in the arts, but there are others who feel the same way. (One fellow expresses hatred for AI in the arts, but gave in to have it generate a novelty picture.) A different browser than the one I am using now offers to use AI to rewrite my text. No, my idiosyncrasies and quirks are expressions of my personality, and they make me more real to readers. In arts and other ways, people do not want AI in the picture.

Businesses thought artificial intelligence would be the electronic cat's meow, but many have been disappointed. AI as customer service? Do not want. We require the human touch. (Indeed, have you contacted someone who was so locked into a script or company rules that they acted mechanical? That irritates me to no end.) Although it's not AI per se, some companies are changing their minds about self-serve checkouts. This is primarily due to shoplifting and label-switching to cheat the system. Machines don't care.

Something to keep in mind is that artificial intelligence is subject to the worldviews of its developers. In this secular culture that embraces fish-to-fool evolution, people who make computer programs and AI have anti-truth, anti-God biases. They believe life, the universe, and everything created themselves. In reality, God is the Creator and he makes the rules. It is our responsibility to find out what he has to say in his Word. It can be on paper, eBook, or whatever. Discover that he is God, and there is no other — and certainly not an AI idol made by humans.

There are two articles from the Discovery Institute that inspired this article and that you may want to use for further examples of what I touched on: "The AI Delusion: Companies Spending a Lot on It Are Not Seeing a Big Return" and "What Is Lost with the Rise of AI."

Finally, the video below is one from a non-existent band with nameless "members." If someone can find scriptural support for one's name being written in the sky, I'd like to know.


* Image furnished by Why?Outreach, middle image removed at cleanup.pictures, added image from Gerd Altmann (Geralt) at Pixabay