"Is AI our impending digital antichrist? Or is it another thing to get worked up about instead of remaining called to the present?" Phew, that second sentence.
I appreciate this notice to never listen to AI futurist podcasts! I don't think my brain could handle it right now. 😅
I listened to most of the podcast series 'Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' from Christianity Today; his main point is that Christians in the 70s, 80s, and 90s got swept away by fear and panic about things that were fake or exaggerated, causing them to take their eyes off of the present and things that they actually should have been concerned about and paying attention to (ultimately doing a lot of real damage).
I appreciate that you are calling us to see that we're doing the same thing again and heading for similar outcomes. May we be grounded and discerning.
Thanks for this thoughtful post. I hadn't been thinking about AI being apocalyptic, but I definitely swirl around other things I see that feel like the world is ending. I've had to remind myself lately that in every generation there have been people who think the world is about to end. The early church included!
I loved your line: "...Christians must guard ourselves from being swept up in a vision of a terrible future that screws our kids up, screws us up, and scars our souls along the way."
I'm encouraged to keep persisting in hope with the good work before me.
As a programmer I think what I'm seeing in myself and others is a sort of identity crisis that's being brought on by AI. A couple of years ago when I would try AI assisted coding it was in the sort of "oh, that's cute" stage. Now there's a very real possibility that it's going to eliminate a lot of jobs in my field. Lots of my colleagues are whistling past the graveyard ("the bots aren't able to do ..." (Until they can)). It's common now to see discussion on online coding forums where programmers are starting to ask the What's the point? question. If AI can do what it took us years to train for then what does that mean for us humans and our purpose? This is going to be the big impact of AI over the next few years. We're all always comparing ourselves to other humans, but now we have machines to feel inferior to. This has happened before with physical work, now it's happening with mental work.
Thanks for this Phi. It reminded me of hearing a tech co. foudner speak at a conference in the Bay Area and mention he's basically cashing in, doing back to gardening and working with his hands. If only we could all be so lucky!
"Is AI our impending digital antichrist? Or is it another thing to get worked up about instead of remaining called to the present?" Phew, that second sentence.
I appreciate this notice to never listen to AI futurist podcasts! I don't think my brain could handle it right now. 😅
For real Jen, I need a few months off, enough in the present day to ruminate on!
Yes!!
I listened to most of the podcast series 'Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' from Christianity Today; his main point is that Christians in the 70s, 80s, and 90s got swept away by fear and panic about things that were fake or exaggerated, causing them to take their eyes off of the present and things that they actually should have been concerned about and paying attention to (ultimately doing a lot of real damage).
I appreciate that you are calling us to see that we're doing the same thing again and heading for similar outcomes. May we be grounded and discerning.
Thanks Laurel! Seconding you on being grounded, even if it's a daily choice.
"Jesus take the algorithm" is so funny.
Thanks for this thoughtful post. I hadn't been thinking about AI being apocalyptic, but I definitely swirl around other things I see that feel like the world is ending. I've had to remind myself lately that in every generation there have been people who think the world is about to end. The early church included!
I loved your line: "...Christians must guard ourselves from being swept up in a vision of a terrible future that screws our kids up, screws us up, and scars our souls along the way."
I'm encouraged to keep persisting in hope with the good work before me.
Chelsea, thank you! And I KNOW, I almost went with Jesus Take the Algorithm. ; )
As a programmer I think what I'm seeing in myself and others is a sort of identity crisis that's being brought on by AI. A couple of years ago when I would try AI assisted coding it was in the sort of "oh, that's cute" stage. Now there's a very real possibility that it's going to eliminate a lot of jobs in my field. Lots of my colleagues are whistling past the graveyard ("the bots aren't able to do ..." (Until they can)). It's common now to see discussion on online coding forums where programmers are starting to ask the What's the point? question. If AI can do what it took us years to train for then what does that mean for us humans and our purpose? This is going to be the big impact of AI over the next few years. We're all always comparing ourselves to other humans, but now we have machines to feel inferior to. This has happened before with physical work, now it's happening with mental work.
Thanks for this Phi. It reminded me of hearing a tech co. foudner speak at a conference in the Bay Area and mention he's basically cashing in, doing back to gardening and working with his hands. If only we could all be so lucky!