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. 

It's All About Your True Identity

In today's world, identity is everything. We all are searching for our "authentic self"; what makes us original, unique, distinctive -- what makes us stand out in the crowd. That's what all the tweets, Facebook posts, endless selfies, and number of "likes" is all about. So many are desperate to create an image of who they want to be. But too often, that identity is based on external characteristics, such as height, race, or age -- things we have no control over. It can also be defined by our politics, our moral compass, or what/who we believe in. How do we get that true image of who we are? The Bible tells us [in Genesis 1:26] that we are all made in the image of God; that our identity can be found in Him. So, what does that mean, and how do we begin to understand, determine, and know our "authentic self"? 

That is a struggle that has endured since the Garden of Eden. The serpent challenged Eve to disobey the commandments of her Creator, resulting in a catastrophic transformation in her identity, and the opportunity to lose our identity as well. You see, in that same verse in Genesis 1, God gave mankind dominion over all the earth, and "over every thing that creeps and crawls on the earth". Eve forgot her identity! She had authority over that creepy, crawly serpent, yet she let him sow seeds of doubt about her spiritual and moral identity, and she abandoned her true identity in favor of a false one -- that she would be omniscient like God and know the difference between good and evil. 

God never intended for man to know evil; he was given authority over the earth to administer it and make it be like Heaven, where there is no evil. But the temptation to be more than what God made them to be overcame Adam and Eve, and their capitulation to the serpent initiated both a curse upon the earth and a fallen, sinful condition upon mankind ... until God himself came in the flesh to offer us a new identity established and formed in Him. As painful as it is to admit, man cannot be trusted to define his own identity.

I said at the beginning of this post that we are all searching for ways to make ourselves stand out; to be validated for our uniqueness. But can you see that oftentimes that effort results in trying to mimic what we value in someone else or a standard that the world determines is the ideal identity? People just end up trying to all look alike. Sadly, the world's population is still repeating Adam and Eve's mistake ... being tempted by what is offered them in the world, rather than understanding that their identity comes from God. Even if we, as human beings, can grasp that our identity doesn't come from our job, how much money we make, or how many followers we have on Social Media, it's still not enough to claim the label "Christian" as a means of defining and understanding who you are. We must understand who God is! We must understand His character, His nature, and His traits. And most importantly, when it comes to our identity, we must understand what He says about us. 

Now, here is where we can fall into another trap. Too many Believers identify themselves as a Christian, as religious, as spiritual, or a number of other credentials to validate their identity with God. We know that God sees us and all we say and do. But just like the serpent did in the Garden of Eden, the Enemy of God tempts us to take our focus off the One who created us [in His image] and what He has done for us, and instead, invites us to center our attention on what God thinks about all we've done in an attempt to prove to Him that our identity lies in Him. If we're not careful, that perspective can become self-serving and our faith becomes rooted in works. We have an attitude that says, "Look, God, at all I've done for You", instead of one that says, "Look world, at all that my Father in Heaven has done for me. I am blessed to be loved, chosen, forgiven, and delivered into the family of God"!

It is important that you know your identity in God. And one of the most important sources is His Holy Word to understand who He says you are. While there are many good leaders in the Church to help you on that journey of discovering your identity, it is important to not rely on their word alone. Seek your Creator, His Son, and the Holy Spirit to reveal the depths of your identity. They alone can reveal your purpose while on this earth and who you were created to be. What they offer you is far greater and of abundant worth, compared to what the world tries to convince you is valuable. The things of this world -- the accolades, the titles, the praise, the applause, the compliments, the number of "likes" you yearn to achieve -- fade away and pale in comparison to the Eternal gifts given to you when your identity lies in Christ and what He did for you by shedding His blood on the Cross.

I felt encouraged by the Holy Spirit to approach this subject today because I am greatly concerned for our younger generations and the identity crises I see in their lives. I am blessed to witness all the new births within my family and friends, and I rejoice as we all celebrate each child and their individual personalities and we watch them grow. But I see the plan of the Enemy and the increasing threat that He brings against those precious children. God has created them with the opportunity to be in relationship with Him as He guides them into their distinctive purpose to re-establish man's dominion on the earth. But the devil has set up networks within the framework of our social order to cause confusion, self-doubt, and spiritual blindness. Our youth are fearful of not being accepted by the world, so they try to be like everyone else. They rely on corrupted systems to define who they are -- letting teachers, Hollywood, Social Media, and their peers establish their image and reflect it back to them. 

To safeguard the existence of mankind, it is imperative that parents, grandparents, and Godly mentors take back their influence in our children's lives. When we, as humans, no longer identify with the One who created us, we are susceptible to eradication. When we no longer know who we are in Christ Jesus, then anything and anyone can become our god -- political systems, entertainment giants, the old pagan gods [who are still wielding their power]; even Artificial Intelligence. Is it still possible to raise a generation that believes they are all God says they are? Lord, how I pray it is so! Let us raise a generation that is capable of examining and challenging the false identities that Satan is sowing. Lord, I pray that they will throw off the mantle of lies that has them seeing themselves through a dirty veil, and they will step into the glorious Light of Your Truth and recognize their authentic self: a child of God, growing to look more like You every day, and less like who the world tells them they are. 

2 Corinthians 2:14    But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him.