The AI Conflict: Is Anything Genuine and Real Anymore?

I will admit that this subject is a personal affront to me and presents an interesting dilemma. At the moment, AI is a given in our world. The technological world has exploded with possibilities now that Artificial Intelligence has come upon the scene. Computer systems are now capable of doing things that once only humans could perform. While, for many this represents advancement for the human race, it sincerely comes into conflict with my human understanding of authenticity -- as well as the convictions of my faith. Let me try to explain how those two concepts converge in my life.

Authenticity coincides with several things to me: being original; being your true self; being genuine and honest. My faith informs what my true self is: a human being created in the image of God; designed by Him to be original with all the gifts and talents that are unique only to me. Therefore my "true self" cannot exist apart from my God. But that reality comes with a moral obligation ... to represent Him with honesty and integrity. In other words, to live our lives according to His moral principles and values. And for me, that comes into stark contrast when considering the choices and options that AI presents for humans.  

Take for instance, in the world of art. I think it is undisputed that art can touch the human soul and spirit. Have you ever looked upon a beautiful piece of art and been brought to tears? Or have it take your breath away? I have personally experienced it myself, and witnessed this phenomenon in other people, as we have looked upon art and marveled at the talent God has given the artist. When that moment occurs, I believe that we are ultimately connecting to God. We are moved by what the artist creates from the gift he has been given by the Great Creator. And that connection between art and God is made clear in Ephesians 2:10 ... "For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above -- spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works which God prepared [for us] beforehand, so that we would walk in them."

This is just one example at the heart of my conflict with AI. Which is why my spirit is offended when I see countless people on Social Media exclaiming over the astounding beauty of a painting or photo that is obviously generated by Artificial Intelligence. It's "Artificial"! It's not real; it's not original; and it's not honest. I'm even seeing Facebook posts extolling the brilliance of a Claude Monet work of art, with its heightened values of color -- and it's not even a Monet painting! And I'm even more highly offended when I see an artist present his work as an "original" painting, when I know that parts of it have been generated by AI to present what the artist has decided is "authentic". I have witnessed what graphic artists can do by reducing an image to its core form or impression, and then substituting backgrounds and adding additional elements to come up with a final image that is manufactured. We see it all the time in the advertising campaigns that deluge our TV and computer screens.

And now I'm seeing legitimate artists doing the same thing. They might paint a subject sitting in a chair, and then take that image to the computer and ask AI to add a background of a garden setting, enhancing all the colors of the flowers, and then paint the rest of their painting to match that fabricated depiction. And the world exclaims over his talent and what a masterful painter he is. Yes, it is beautiful ... but it is manufactured, not created! It's not genuine, nor was it created from his innate, inborn, God-given talent. For me, to present a piece of art as your own, when it is produced with the help of a computer system lacks integrity and character. 

But maybe that's just me. Maybe the world has lost touch with what it means to be authentic and real. And maybe we've lost touch with our moral values. When the lines become blurred between what is truly "created" and what is formulated or constructed, then how do we know what is "real"? Which brings up another profound concern for me... at the rate that AI is progressing, how easy will it be to create and edit a video of a false Jesus coming on the clouds that can be distributed and screened worldwide? Will the human race be able to tell the difference between what's real and what is counterfeit?

That's the problem as we careen towards a future where we are giving computer generated programs the ability to start taking over the human thought and creative process. Are we going to start handing over our identity as image-bearers of Christ to a machine? Because we know they don't have that "God spark" of original creativity in them ... right? When we start abdicating our role as the true creator of ideas, art, products, and social conscience and become just the manager of what AI creates, then we are dangerously close to becoming insignificant in God's plan for mankind.

If we continue to rely more and more on AI's integration into our lives and society, then are we removing our reliance on our connection to God and the Holy Spirit to guide our morals, ethics, and standards of behavior? Will we begin to lose the nucleus of our identity? Do we really want human and machine creativity to merge and become one? Seems to me that will interfere with hearing and seeing what the Father is instructing us to do, which formed the foundation of Jesus's ministry, and should do the same for us. 

Which brings me to an interesting article I read by Igor Tarasenko, titled Rethinking Authenticity in the AI Revolution, in which he said, "It's about the essence of creation -- is it the origin, the journey, or the impact that matters?" And can we keep those separate? Can we glorify God while keeping a check on what's really important in this life -- that the number of hits on our social media content pales in comparison to the journey we are on towards Christ-likeness? All of which brings me back to the importance of our honesty, integrity, ethical and moral compass, and our true self. How important will that be to our future generations who are being raised in this quagmire between machine and man? Are the boundaries being erased? Will they even care about being genuine and authentic; or recognize why they were created and by Whom? 

The Bible talks about the importance of authenticity to God, you know. Check out Benjamin Reinke's blog on 50 Bible Verses about Authenticity.  As he says in the first one he cites, Psalm 51:6 "reflects the profound value placed on inner truth and authenticity in the sight of God: Behold, You desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place."  Does AI desire the same of us, or teach us wisdom? Another aspect that he points to is the courage to be authentic. Can we be loyal to our Creator and brave enough to stand for His "program" in the world? Lord, I pray that there are enough of us who will be true to who You've created us to be so that we show the world, who is enamored with the tech gods, that Your Sovereignty still reigns in the hearts of men, called according to Your will.  

Proverbs 11:3    The integrity and moral courage of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. 

Beware Of False Signs & Wonders of This Age: They Are a Web of Deception!

I want to start off by saying that I acknowledge the ways in which technology has helped mankind. Our society has benefitted from its many innovations. But I have also written before about my inherent suspicion of technology as a tool of deception from the Enemy. Those of all ages, who are intrigued by it, will call me old-fashioned and out-of-step with the future implications. But, on the contrary, it is exactly those implications for the future that have set off warning bells in my spirit. 

For more than ten years, I have been following and studying the writings and philosophies of futurists and technology engineers who were bold in their prognostications of how technology would "advance humankind", even to the point of living forever by uploading our brains to the "cloud", and replacing our worn-out body parts. After all, they clearly implied, it won't be necessary to cling to God to have eternal life. 

In 2013, I wrote a post, citing that Ray Kurzweil -- an acclaimed inventor, futurist, and [then] Director of Engineering at Google -- had published an article on CNN.com in which he predicted 5 ways our lives would be dramatically affected in the very near future. Let's see how far down that road we've come in the last ten years. He predicted that ... 

1.  By the early 2020s, we will have the means to program our biology away from disease and aging.  According to Mr. Kurzweil, in 2013, scientists already had "the genome code" and could actually reprogram our body's processes, much like a computer is re-programmed. Here is a direct quote from him: RNA interference, for example, can turn genes off that promote disease and aging. New forms of gene therapy, especially in vitro models that do not trigger the immune system, have the ability to add new genes. 

But as we saw in 2020, with the worldwide pandemic, RNA interference can have the opposite effects on genes, too, resulting in promotion of diseases and death. So, I ask... was this science used for the betterment of mankind? Was it true "Signs and Wonders", or was it "Deception"?

2.  By 2030, solar energy will be able to meet all our needs, revolutionizing the production of food and water.  In 2013, Kurzweil predicted hydroponic production of fruits and vegetables -- so far, so good. But he also predicted "in vitro cloning of muscle tissue for meat".  We saw that rolled out as McDonald's "Impossible Burger", or fake meat. But here is the quote that set my spirit on edge:  "We are also headed towards another agriculture revolution, from horizontal agriculture to vertical agriculture, where we grow very high quality food in Artificial Intelligence controlled buildings [my emphasis, not his]. That's when my warning bells started going off. Our food supply will be controlled by machines?

3.  By the early 2020s we will print out a significant fraction of the products we use including clothing as well as replacement organs. I could see that trend emerging; we were already consuming digital versions of books, movies, and music. In the ten years since, that trend has only grown. But it was his pride in which he announced the following, that once again, had me questioning, "Signs and Wonders" or "Deception"? He said, "We can already experimentally print out organs by printing a biodegradable scaffolding and then populating it with a patient's own stem cells, all with a 3D printer." After all, who needs a Creator God, right?

4.  Within five years, search engines will be based on an understanding of natural language.  Well, we've reached that milestone, and gone beyond. We have surpassed IBM's "Watson" who got its knowledge by reading Wikipedia and other encyclopedias, a total of 200 million pages of natural language documents, and then combining all that knowledge to come up with a system that could engage a person in dialogue to clarify questions and discuss answers that were ambiguous or complex.

Ten years later, we are increasingly encountering, LLMs (Large Language Models), a type of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that uses deep learning techniques and massively large data sets to understand, summarize, generate and predict new content. In other words, computers are increasingly able to think like humans, and the concern is that they will soon be able to out-think us, as their learning capacity grows.  

5.  By the early 2020s we will be routinely working and playing with each other in full immersion visual-auditory virtual environments. By the 2030s, we will add the tactile sense to full immersion virtual reality. Much like the telephone is virtual reality, in the auditory sense, in that you can meet with someone as if you are together, Kurzweil predicted that we will soon be able to add visual, tactile and what he called "full immersion" virtual reality to our existence. 

 There's only one small hitch ... the full package will require tapping directly into the nervous system.  But it's no big deal, he insists.  "We'll be able to do that in the 2030s with nanobots traveling noninvasively into the brain through the capillaries and augmenting the signals coming from our real senses." 

So, can you see that as far back as ten years ago, the Enemy was sowing seeds of deception into our collective desire to be "plugged in"? But have the advancements in technology and Artificial Intelligence resulted in what the Bible predicts will be false Signs and Wonders for our Age? Consider this statement by Gabe Lyons, an alumnus of Liberty University, and a Christian media expert, who isn't afraid to warn about the coming threats to our world, while encouraging and equipping Christians to strengthen our own culture of faith  ... "I believe Christians ought to be the most thoughtful, the most informed, and the most educated on every single question that our culture is asking,” Lyons said. “We have a responsibility to do that because the Scriptures and the Church (body of Christ) throughout history have always had the best answers to what human beings face … to the questions [this] generation is asking.” 

He warns that the goal of artificial intelligence is to form a singular language so that nothing becomes impossible for man. He referenced Genesis 11, explaining that humans have a desire to lift themselves up rather than submit to God — a temptation [and I submit, a deception] as old as time. “What is the thing that artificial intelligence wants from you?", he asks … "it wants you to stop thinking".

I agree! It is time that we, as Christians, begin seeing the challenge being presented to us. Do we really need this growing dependence on AI and machines? Critical thinking is an important component of our humanity, and we've been given that by our Creator! Do we really need gene editing? Or a neural link in our brain? Or nanobots that supplement and magnify our natural senses and body functions? Do we really need to perfect what God designed, which is in His image? We must ask ourselves if we need to be "enhanced" ... or do we trust God's divine design? 

Unfortunately, what I see happening is that we are being trained to abandon our own critical thinking, and rely more and more on machines. When we do that, we are stepping away from God. We must not be fooled or deceive ourselves! All the benefits of man's "artificial enhancement" are false Signs and Wonders. They will result in future generations that Gabe Lyons says "won't see a God, or believe in Him, and will start to think they're their own god". 

That is why it is essential that we Christians each develop -- through our spirits and critical thinking [from God] -- our own worldview of who we are, why we matter, and why we're here. It must all come through the lens of being divinely created, and through the truth of Christ's redemptive act on the Cross for us.  And here's the critical point ... we must be able to defend it, if we are going to occupy this earth until Christ returns. We must defend the truth of our divinely saved humanity, because I promise you this ... AI, in all its accumulated knowledge, will try to challenge that truth! But remember Scripture, which says Be not deceived. God will not be mocked.

#falsesignsandwonders #satansdeception #mandanmachine #dangersofartificialintelligence #satanslies #biblicalworldview #raykurzweil #criticalthinking #God'sdivinecreationofman #technologyasthedevil'stool #Godwillnotbemocked #benotdeceived

Isaiah 44: 9, 20:    All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame... a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

   

    

 

Choose Now Whom You Will Serve ... God of the Bible or Your AI god?

Need we remind ourselves of one of the primary and most important commandments of God almighty, El Shaddai? You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God, demanding what is [rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me...

In my last post, I talked about the consequences of the iniquity that results from a lack of trust in God. And that is what can happen to each of us, as individuals, when we lose sight of our Creator. But now, in these last days, I am seeing a threat that could exert ungodly influence on the masses, and potentially result in the extinction of mankind, or at the very least, corrupt the personal relationship with our Heavenly Father; the personal relationship that Jesus died to restore to all mankind. 

Frankly, I am shocked at just how rapidly this threat has risen. I'm talking about the dire warning that technology execs and creators are signaling ... warning that "we are creating a god". Notice that both these execs and the God of the Bible use a "little g" when referring to false dieties. Just read what Mo Gawdat, former chief executive of Google X had to say: he believes "that artificial general intelligence (AGI), the sort of all-powerful, sentient AI seen in science fiction like Skynet from The Terminator, is inevitable — and that once it's here, humanity may very well find itself staring down an apocalypse brought forth by godlike machines". 

In the article, Gawdat shared the revelation he received during tests with AI developers to check the dexterity of robot arms trying to pick up a small ball. After a period of slow progress, Gawdat said that one arm grabbed the ball and seemed to hold it up to the researchers in a gesture that, to him, seemed like it was showing off. "And I suddenly realized this is really scary," Gawdat said. "It completely froze me... The reality is," he added, "we're creating God." Now, I'm fully aware that his use of a "big G" for God, in this instance, is entirely misappropriated. No one can create God! He is I AM; he's always been. If Gawdat had said, "we're trying to replace God", I would probably agree with that.

So, while he among others, like Elon Musk, are warning that the advancements in AI technology are potential threats to the human race, there are others who have avidly and aggressively promoted divine attributes to Artificial Intelligence. In 2021, former Google executive Anthony Levandowski closed his artificial intelligence-focused church, called Way of the Future (WOTF). An article on The Verge, reported that Levandowski was interested in pursuing “the realization, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), in preparation for the Singularity [and the betterment of society]". Although he closed his "church", it is not too hard to imagine that someone else will pursue that same goal. [NOTE: the Singularity is a hypothetical future where technology growth is out of control and irreversible. These intelligent and powerful technologies will radically and unpredictably transform our reality]. And included in that transformation is the merging of humans and computers; a being with both organic (God-made) and bio-mechatronic (inorganic) body parts.

That brings me to who, in my opinion, is one of the most dangerous men in this technology conversation, senior World Economic Forum (WEF) advisor Yuval Noah Harari. According to an article on Charismamag.com, Harari is "considered by many to be one of the most influential intellectuals in the world today". He is a best-selling author of over 45 million books on the future of science and technology. His opinions are valued by WEF founder and economist, Klaus Schwab, as well as icons like Barack Obama and Bill Gates. But it is his opinions on Creation, the sovereignty of God, and the truth of the Bible that is highly concerning to me. Let me just share a few of his statements:

"We don’t have to wait for Christ’s Second Coming to overcome death. A couple of geeks in the laboratory can do it if you give them enough time and money".

"God seems to be making a comeback, but this is a mirage. God is dead … it just takes awhile to get rid of the body".

"I don’t think life has any meaning. I know many civilizations and philosophies have based the meaning of life on death and what happens after death. But I think these are all fictional stories that people have invented throughout history. They are not the truth".

"You think about the Bible for example. So, in the first book of Genesis, what God does is to create animals and plants and humans. And we now want to gain these abilities ourselves… to manufacture animals and plants and humans. And even go beyond God! Even if you believe in the Bible, the only thing the God of the Bible managed to create is organic beings. He managed to create the cows, and the tomatoes, and the giraffes and the humans – all organic. Now we try to go beyond the God of the Bible and create inorganic life, a thing He never managed to do, according either to the Bible or to biology. For 4 billion years, all life was organic. Now we want to create inorganic life. Divinity is not far enough to describe what we are trying to do"! [NOTE: By "inorganic", he means machines!]

"I think one of the most interesting places today, from a religious perspective, is Silicon Valley. I bet that this is where the new religions of the 21st Century will be created; are being created. And these will be a kind of techno-religions; religions based on technology; religions that make all of the old promises possible of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and so forth. They all promised happiness, and prosperity and justice, and even eternal life.  [We can know those promises] here on earth, with the help of technology; and not after we die, but now with the help of super human beings. And in a way, I would say we have already seen the first techno-religion in history, in previous centuries, and that was Socialism".

I think you've read enough to get an idea of where this guy is coming from. And as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, what he is saying is offensive and alarming. But none is more controversial than his opinion that the Bible needs to be re-written "to correct" the wrong ideas it has presented for centuries. We know that Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press and printed a copy of the Bible in the 15th Century. But according to Harari, "it [the printing press] had no ideas of its own about the Bible: Is it good? Is it bad? How to interpret this? How to interpret that? AI can create new ideas [from its opinions]; [it] can even write a new Bible,” Harari declares. “Throughout history, religions dreamt about having a book written by a superhuman intelligence, by a non-human entity". Oh, really? Can you provide some evidence of that, please? 

Are you as aggrieved as I am that this pompous proponent of AI dares to compare human's ability to create with the creativity of the God of the Universe? I am strongly discerning that we are on the precipice of what Scripture prophesies... Because of this God will send upon them a misleading influence, [an activity of error and deception] so they will believe the lie, in order that all may be judged and condemned who did not believe the truth [about their sin, and the need for salvation through Christ], but instead took pleasure in unrighteousness. Now is the time to fortify ourselves for the battle that is coming. We must become clear about what we believe and why, so that we can discern the difference between the delusion God is bringing and the immutable Truth of His Word that we carry in our hearts. 

And again, the Bible tells us that My people perish for lack of knowledge. But it is incumbent upon all us Christians that we make it clear to all within our sphere of influence that the Word is speaking of knowledge as God's Truth, not man's. Mr. Harari is full of knowledge. But his foundation comes from the deception and deceit of the Father of Lies. We must not only stand on the principles of God's Truth, but must be willing to stand against the lies, and correct the false teachings, data, and information that will most assuredly be fomented by artificial intelligence and the humans who unleash AI upon the world. Trust in the Lord to fight for us and protect us as we continue to preach the Word; the unerring, perfect and unimpeachable Word of God to those who love Him and follow His commandments. 

Romans 1:21-23    For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.