AI and Human Value

People try to find value (or validation) in many places, something to make them feel...complete. It is natural to wonder what standard is used to give a person value. Comparing ourselves to other people is common, but it gets discouraging because there is always someone better at something.

Computers and robots are better at many things than humans, but those are designed for specific purposes. Artificial intelligence is highly advanced software. It often mimics human thinking, and some folks think it can surpass humanity.

Bionic eye, Pixabay / intographics

A person is unlikely to feel inferior to a robot or computer because a comparison is unreasonable — and they do not look like us. AI is being implemented into human images, and perhaps some people are intimidated by something that seems human but is superior as well. Is the worth of a person based on performance or the expectations of what he or she can contribute to society?

My wife worked for an agency that supported mentally disabled adults, and many of them were physically disabled as well. From an atheistic utilitarian perspective, why are they being cared for and not eliminated by the state? There are still vestiges of Christian morality in Western society, which means we help the helpless and defenseless. Also, hate Walmart if you wish, but people who work there are like the rest of us, having imperfections and deformities.

As Christians, we do not get our value from molecules-to-manager evolution. That leads to despair. Instead, we are created in the image of God. He gives us value. No need to be intimidated by human-looking AI machines (which are subject to the biases and worldviews of their programmers), nor by utilitarian views.

Some of us grew up in environments where performance determined our worth. If someone else was smarter, faster, or more accomplished, we felt like we were worth less. When we failed, others made us feel worthless. That same perspective feeds into our anxieties about artificial intelligence. We ask: if AI systems eventually become more intelligent and more capable than humans, does humanity become less valuable? Would God love us less?

I understand the fear. But that fear is misplaced. Human value is not determined by what we do — it is rooted in who we are.

You can read the rest or listen to the audio by visiting "Why AI Won’t Replace Us Spiritually."