Properly Using Artificial Intelligence

Love it, fear it, hate it, artificial intelligence is common nowadays. Customer service is often turned over to AI, but people do not like it. They want to talk to a human. Indeed, the online typed "chat" with AI has seldom resolved my issues and I usually needed to talk to a real person. We use AI with internet searches. The military is programming missiles with it.

It seems ironic that many people dislike artificial intelligence, but it is designed to think like humans — or superior to us. Many times it fails.

Charles Darwin playing chess with a life-sized silver robot, made at Bing AI image creator, then modified

The AI graphics program refused to give me the picture that I desired, so I had to settle for Charlie Darwin playing chess with a robot. People are rapidly getting irritated at short videos that are on social(ist) media because so many are fake. (I don't mind comedy AI that is not trying to deceive people.) Deep fakes are a real threat used to deceive and scam people.

What some people do not realize is that AI is subject to its programming which includes the biases of programmers. Atheists may envision using artificial intelligence to take humanity to the next stage of evolution (defying the Creator). A utopia imagined by some could also be a dystopia for others. There are many people who are wary of AI, wanting it to be closely monitored and regulated. There are many possible uses for it as a tool to make life better, but our ultimate hope is found in our Creator, not what we create.

Some have called artificial intelligence (AI) humanity’s “biggest existential threat.” Others say it could let humans achieve “a more utopian existence” built upon a “Marxist vision.” Still others point to it as a reason for pursuing “a transformative vision . . . for a new society.” Whatever the outcome, AI is shaping up to drastically impact humanity’s future. Where did AI come from, where could it be heading, and how should Christians think in response? To answer, the following discussion examines past, present, and prospective applications of AI, identifies theological principles for thinking about AI, and applies these principles to consider AI’s bioethical implications for human futures.

This is the beginning of a rather long but very interesting article that was presented in two parts. To read it all, visit "AI: Useful Tool or Existential Threat?" followed by "The Effects of Artificial Intelligence." Also of interest is "Programmed Biases and Artificial Intelligence."