It’s tempting to think of our use of AI as a modern problem. It’s not.
The “problem” with AI is just the problem of the human heart. It’s the oldest problem we’ve ever tried to solve. It’s also the only problem we know with certainty — if we’re Christians — that we can’t solve on our own.
But what we can do is work to train ourselves and those developing AI to use it more ethically, virtuously and sustainably.
In a recent article published by Touchstone journal, Paul Kingsnorth contemplated whether AI is a dark spiritual force. He writes, “something is indeed being ‘ushered in.’ Through our efforts and our absent-minded passions, something is crawling towards the throne… The great mind is being built…. Something is coming…”
On the other end of the spectrum are technology prophets like Marc Andreessen, a web pioneer and venture capitalist who suggests not only will AI “not destroy the world,” but it may, in fact, save it.
In an article titled “Why AI will save the world,” Andreessen suggests that “every child will have an AI tutor that is infinitely patient,” “every person will have an AI assistant,” “productivity growth throughout the economy will accelerate dramatically” and “creative arts will enter a golden age.”
But a Christian perspective starts by recognizing that AI is part of the latent potential in creation, and so it should not be demonized or rejected. On the other hand, the good creational possibilities of AI are intertwined with the realities of sin. In the words of Al Wolters, “The Bible is unique in its uncompromising rejection of all attempts… to identify part of creation as either the villain or the savior.”
Engineers and computer science students at Calvin University are taught ethics and various “design norms” because AI, like all technologies, is not morally neutral. These sorts of norms are the kind of thing we’d do well to teach all engineers and computer scientists in some form.
These “design norms” arise from a more comprehensive view of created reality and include the norms of justice, stewardship, caring, transparency, cultural appropriateness, and trustworthiness, along with social and aesthetic norms. These norms can help our students to design more responsible technology by taking more into account than just technical considerations. And this is what is missing in the pursuit of advanced AI.
Yet teaching ethics and “design norms” is not sufficient in itself. Simply adding a course on ethics within a larger technical education will not necessarily form ethical professionals.
Proverbs 4:23 suggests that everything we do flows from the heart. The heart, in turn, is shaped by habits and practices that shape us into certain kinds of people. My colleague David Smith has written about pedagogical practices that can be used to encourage virtues like hospitality, care and empathy.
Another colleague, philosopher James K. A. Smith, refers to habits and practices as kinds of “liturgies” that “take hold of our gut and aim our hearts toward certain ends.” These practices include ancient spiritual disciplines like observing regular devotional times, serving others, practicing hospitality, and observing times of Sabbath.
What the world of AI needs is more engineers and computer scientists whose technical work flows from a heart that is aimed toward obedience to God and love of neighbor. However, good engineers and computer scientists are only one part of the solution. We need insightful and helpful regulation, too.
There is already some legislative activity occurring that seems helpful. Legislation
A Christian perspective of AI will, therefore, seek to unfold AI in ways that answer God’s call to love our neighbor and care for the earth and its creatures. This perspective provides an antidote to technical tunnel vision, requiring us to zoom out and consider the wider impact of AI on people, the planet, and ourselves. In the words of John Culkin, who was in turn summarizing Marshall McLuhan, “We shape our tools, and then our tools shape us.”
That’s why the “problem” of AI is the problem of the human heart. We have been struggling with the desires of our hearts since humans rebelled against God in the garden of Eden. With God’s help, we can direct the creational possibilities of AI toward the common good, but that work begins with ourselves.
Title: The Problem With AI Is Deeper Than You Think
URL: https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/the-problem-with-ai-is-deeper-than-you-think/
Source: REL ::: RELEVANT
Source URL: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/rss/relevantmagazine.xml
Date: November 5, 2024 at 08:41PM
Feedly Board(s): Religion