Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.
If you’re like me, you’ve been inundated with info on Artificial Intelligence (AI) recently.
An AI World
Over a decade ago I officiated a wedding for two young post-graduate students at the University of Alberta. Both worked in the field of AI development. At the time, the subject felt more like science fiction than near reality.
The Canadian government laid out their comprehensive plan for AI in Canada on June 4th. That same day, I had a conversation with a pastor in Grande Prairie about a proposed AI data centre to be built just south of that city. In Olds, Alberta, an AI data centre, ten times larger than any existing facility in Canada, is facing mounting opposition from the community.
There are contrasting opinions on the value, benefits, and threat of AI but the one thing everything agrees on, is AI is here to stay.
Even the Pope chose AI as the subject for his first Encyclical. Or more correctly, the Encyclical addressed the meaning of humanity in light of AI.
Humanity And AI
The opening sentence, quoted above from his Encyclical, addresses the influence of AI and the meaning of humans. The Pope explained,
“Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible. Yet every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world. Whenever humanity is in danger of marring its true identity, we Christians lift our eyes to the Incarnate God, knowing that it is “only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear.” In Jesus Christ, this humanity in its grandeur becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening the path for each of us to grow toward fullness.”
Read his exhaustive work here: Magnicifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in a Time of Artificial Intelligence,
2084
I follow the podcast, Diary of CEO with Stephen Bartlett. Stephen interviews thoughtful guests and draws the best out of them with probing questions. On June 4th he interviewed John Lennox, Oxford mathematician and Christian Apologist. Lennox talked about what it means to be human when AI can do almost everything you can.
He authored the recent release, 2084 and The AI Revolution. (You can download a free intro version on Kindle using the link.) Lennox is one of those refreshing thinkers who look below and ahead. We tend to get caught up in the superficial with the latest bizarre things the President of America is sharing on social media and influencers grabbing for headlines. He addresses subjects like transhumanism – the drive to modify human beings and create a superintelligence by means of bioengineering and cyborg engineering. The issues if the future will be more than just job losses because of AI.
In 2084, Lennox opens with a warning about our future by quoting biologist E. O. Wilson,
“The real problem of humanity is the following: We have paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous.”
I’ll be sharing a review of the book shortly on REVwords.
For now, I’ll leave you with the words of Pope Leo:
In the era of artificial intelligence, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence willing to listen and a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates.
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