Non-Artificial Intelligence
God on Monday
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'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him’
(John 20.2).
Reflection
Since the recent release of ChatGPT by OpenAi, science fiction has become science fact. An intelligence, albeit artificial, appears to be all-knowing. Made in our own image, it is challenging our assumptions about what it means to be an incarnate human being.
I spent a morning talking to this chatbot. Because of its seemingly infinite knowledge, there was almost no topic off the record. It appeared to act as a never-ending fountain of knowledge, whether good, bad or indifferent.
This experience has something unsettling about it. We may have met knowledgeable people, but as Christians, we are likely to have associated omniscience only with God. It is troubling that many people seem to be becoming more interested in the knowledge obtainable from the imago homo (image of human beings) than from the imago dei (image of God).
But the story of Jesus – the Easter episode of which is so masterfully retold by the Fourth Evangelist in this Sunday’s gospel reading (Jn 20.1-18) - reminds us that God’s knowledge comes from an intelligent being that created and sustains all that exists.
It comes, moreover, from an intelligent being that has direct flesh-and-blood experience of human relationships, temptations, and emotions; and of suffering, death, and resurrection. It is an experience unsurpassed by anything available to a human-created machine, however intelligent.
Human life can be greatly enhanced by human-made machines. But for humans to be saved – unconditionally and eternally – we need the God of John’s gospel. We need a God who is human and divine.
Response
Jesus shows us that God is not a chatbot we can consult when in need of help. God is far more present than that. When we ask, God does not merely answer – God saves and cares.
God’s promise to us at Easter is that the one who made the world can save the world because he overcomes the death that is in the world.
In doing so, God has overcome our true enemy, which is not finite knowledge but finite life. Death is swallowed up in victory!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you that you are all-knowing, all-loving, and always present. We thank you that in your death and resurrection, we have all we need to be in relationship with you, forever and always.
Next Steps
Consider installing the ChatGPT App from
openai.com (a free trial is available). You can then have a conversation with ChatGPT about a passage from scripture or a theological issue. Just make sure you’ve read this reflection first, and bear in mind that knowledge is not the same as wisdom!
This Week's Author
James Poulter, CEO of Vixen Labs
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God on Monday is produced in partnership with the Church of England. The reflections are based on the scriptural readings designated for the coming Sunday in the Church's lectionary. You can sign up to Faith in Business here to receive each God on Monday instalment.
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