When I think about technology and AI, my mind often wanders to a scene from the end of the film “Avengers: Infinity War”. In this scene, the villain Thanos has just turned half of the universe to dust. In a kind of vision, he approaches his adopted daughter Gamora (who he had to sacrifice earlier in the film) as a young girl. She asks him, “What did it cost?” Thanos responds, “Everything.”
It is a chilling scene that makes me wonder if in our pursuit of AI we are a little like Thanos chasing infinite power and knowledge, and it will cost us everything. That may be a little too apocalyptic, but it raises the issue of whether we really do count the cost when pursuing the wild dreams of new technologies.
As Christians, we need to be rooted in a biblical worldview about technology. The Bible may not give us a practical guide to AI, but it does give us a general understanding of what technology is and how we should use it. That is where we must start in considering how we approach AI as Christians.
What Is Technology and How Should We Use It?
Technology is a product of human beings living as image-bearers of God. Genesis 1:26-28 teaches that God created humanity in his image and gave humanity the task of exercising dominion over the earth. One way we image God, the Creator, is by making new things from his creation. This includes technology. Technology involves creating useful tools from God’s creation that help us carry out the callings God has given us.1
Therefore, the Bible begins with a positive outlook on technology. It is part of living as image-bearers of God who order and shape creation into useful tools that promote human flourishing. The goal of technology is the glory of God and the good of others. We shape tools that help us do the work God has given us and to make things that are useful for others.
Technology finds its roots in creation before humanity’s rebellion against God. It involves discovering the patterns God has wired into creation. Every man-made technology ultimately goes back to God, the Creator. Just as Isaiah reminds us that the farmer gets understanding from God to know how to farm, the designers of new technologies are discovering ways God has made things to work (Isaiah 28:26, 29).2
However, since humanity’s rebellion against our Creator, all technology is affected by the brokenness of this world. We use technology to hurt and harm others (think: Cain and Abel in Genesis 4). We use technology to enable our idols (think: the Golden Calf in Exodus 32). All technologies fade, cause headaches when they break, and can shape us in negative ways.
No technology is simply a neutral tool. All technology shapes us in certain ways. For example, the invention of the alphabet and reading shaped past cultures so that they were no longer strictly oral cultures. Thus, we should be intentional, patient, and wise in how we use technology. We should ask questions like, “How is this technology shaping me? Is it helping or hindering me from loving God and loving others?”.
Scripture is clear that whatever we do, we should do for the praise and glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). All that we do should be done in love (1 Cor 16:14). We should use technology in ways that honor God and show love to others. Scripture also calls us to walk in wisdom and holiness. Before we adopt new technologies, we should count the cost. This means that we consider how a technology might shape us and how we relate to God and others. We should avoid all uses of technology that push us toward sin and away from holiness.
Today, we live in a time of unprecedented growth in technology. Most of what we think of as technology today is digital technology. Screens are everywhere, from our pockets to our walls, in our cars and on our refrigerators. Technology today changes so quickly it is hard to stay on top of. Of course, the biggest strides in technology today come in the arena of AI (artificial intelligence).
What Is AI?
According to NASA, “Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can perform complex tasks normally done by human-reasoning, decision making, creating, etc.”3 It generally works through exposing systems to large amounts of data and applying algorithms to identify patterns and perform certain tasks (this is called “Machine Learning”). Instead of merely following rules, it uses lots of data to “learn” rules and notice patterns. For example, this might look like showing a system thousands of images of dogs so it can learn what a dog looks like.
AI has been a field that has interested scientists since at least the term was coined in the 1950s. With the increased speed of computers today and the wealth of information available on the internet, artificial intelligence has taken vast leaps forward in the past 20 years. Today, we live with AI assistants like Alexa and Siri and can type any question or draft any idea in ChatGPT. We can describe an image, and AI will produce it. Scientists are designing AI robots that can run half-marathons and perform other physical tasks.
We should understand that like most technologies today, AI is mainly being designed by those with a materialistic, evolutionary worldview that denies God and reduces humans to biological processes. In this worldview, our intelligence is a result of organic, chemical processes, and it can be replicated, replaced, or supplemented by AI. Some proponents of AI consider it the next step in human evolution and theorize that it might allow us to transcend our bodies. Others like Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) propose that intelligence will become simply another utility (like water and electricity) that we will purchase from companies like his.4
We should note this worldview and be careful of ways it can influence us as Christians. We should be careful about how AI itself can shape us and how we think about ourselves and others. As Christians, we need to remember that human beings are much more than the sum of our intelligence or physical capabilities. We are not fundamentally what we know or what we do. We are created in God’s image, body and soul, with inherent dignity and worth that no computer created by man could supplant.
The capabilities of AI will continue to grow. It will take over certain jobs and fields of work. But it will not change what it means to be human or our basic calling as followers of Jesus. We should consider how to use it and approach it in ways that glorify God and show love to our neighbors.
How Should We Approach AI as Followers of Jesus?
If we are using digital technology, we are all using AI in some form (e.g., from recommended videos on YouTube to Google searches to using Alexa to control your smart thermostat). Yet, as with all technology, we want to be intentional about our use of AI. As followers of Jesus, we should approach AI with wisdom, love for others, and a concern to live holy lives for God’s glory.
We can frame these three concerns into three questions. First, what is the cost of AI in my life? Second, does my use of AI help or hinder my love for others? Third, does my use of AI help or hinder living in holiness?
Wisdom
Wisdom asks more of AI than simply “how will this benefit me?“. The benefits of new technologies like AI are easy to see: I can ask Gemini to create a tailored workout plan for me in just a few minutes. That’s cool and helpful! But the costs of using new technologies are usually more hidden and harder to assess. As Neil Postman argues, technological change is ecological.5 Introduce a new technology, and it changes the entire ecosystem of a culture and your life. Wisdom discerns hidden costs to our “ecosystem” (what we lose, not just what we gain) and adjusts our use of technology accordingly.
AI technologies come with several hidden costs. Like many digital technologies, AI can play a role in eroding our ability to give something sustained thought. Why would we think through a problem, when we can ask ChatGPT? Why would we read a book when we can ask AI what we want to know? We become slowly reliant on our tools in a way that literally rewires our brains and erodes attention. For Christians, this matters because we are people of a book. We are called to read and meditate on God’s Word. AI might be able to give us quick answers to Bible questions, but it cannot give us the delight in God that arises from saturating our minds and hearts with his Word.
AI also forms us to value speed, efficiency, and ease. Yet, we forget that these things are not virtues. Gemini probably could have written this article better than I did. But that wouldn’t really help me in the long run (or you, either). It would be easier and faster, but I would lose the benefit of working through these issues myself. Life is about more than quick information and taking the easy road. Wisdom values knowledge that is bought by sweat and tears more than intelligence purchased for a small fee (or for nothing) from the AI “utility companies.” Patience and self-discipline are good in and of themselves. But AI changes the ecosystem of our lives in such a way that it can choke them out or hinder their growth.
Wisdom also recognizes how AI can lead us away from community and human connection and prioritize a self-centered experience. It may lead us away from asking others in our lives for help. We can simply ask our AI assistant. In the extreme, people have even developed disturbing intimate “relationships” with AI chatbots. But these kinds of connections are “artificial”. They lack the true connection that comes from a son asking his dad for help on a project. AI tempts us to just ask ChatGPT.
Love
Another question we must ask of our use of AI is whether it helps or hinders our love for God and others. In other words, is AI getting in the way of growing to be more like Jesus? The Bible is clear that our greatest calling in life is to love God with all that we are and all that we have and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
In our use of AI, we must strive to love God above all. We must be careful that we do not allow AI tools to become idols that lead us away from spending time in prayer or other spiritual disciplines. Since the Fall, humanity has turned to worship creation rather than the Creator (Rom 1:25). If we consistently turn to AI for answers before we turn to God in prayer, we are guilty of idol worship. Will we turn first to the all-knowing God who loves us or a digital AI assistant who is a creation of man? As we approach AI, we must use it as those who love God above all and refuse to turn our creations into idols.
AI should also be used in ways marked by love for others. We should refuse to use it in ways that harm or ignore people. Positively, AI may allow us to save a little time in certain menial tasks so we can focus on people in our lives. It might help us create positive content that may help or encourage others. Doctors have already been using it to help read scans and other reports more accurately in ways that have saved lives. If we are going to use AI, we need to dwell on this question for ourselves: how will this help or hinder my love for others in my life? We must refuse to use AI in ways that lead us to dehumanize or harm others.
Holiness
We also should consider whether certain uses of AI help us live in holiness or whether they push us to live in worldliness. Remember: God’s will for you is your holiness (1 Thess 4:3). We must not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of our mind in God’s truth (Rom 12:2). Therefore, we need to consider whether AI is helping or hindering our holiness and the renewal of our mind.
Using AI to write a paper for you and passing it off as your own is clearly an unholy use of AI. But also letting our minds become unduly saturated with AI-driven social media news feeds may quietly push us into worldliness. Social media algorithms give us what they “think” we want to see. This feeds our self-centeredness, creates echo chambers, and even hardens us to sin. As David Wells writes, “Worldliness is what makes sin look normal in any age and righteousness seem odd.”6 How much passes before our eyes on our screens that tries to make sin look normal?
We can use AI in ways that are holy and honor God. Using it with wisdom and love is a good start. If we are going to use AI, we better do so for the glory of God. We should recognize the costs and mitigate them as much as we can. We should be intentional about using AI instead of being purely reactive or using it mindlessly just because everyone else is.
Four Starting Points for Using AI
As we approach AI through the lens of wisdom, love, and holiness, here are four simple starting points for considering how we use AI.
- In everything, work hard for God’s glory and the good of others. Don’t use AI to avoid all hard mental work. Using AI for menial, mindless tasks is fine. It becomes more complicated when we’re asking it to do all the heavy lifting for us. There is satisfaction in hard work (mental and physical). Sitting around and having a machine do everything is an empty way to live. Give your all for God’s glory and out of love for the people around you.
- Don’t delegate your learning to a machine. Use AI to go deeper in your learning, not as a replacement for learning. If we delegate our learning to AI, we will lose something valuable. God made us to explore and to learn. Before consulting AI, take time to think through a problem, question, or biblical text for yourself or ask someone you trust. Resist the urge to look everything up all the time. Use AI to explore and learn, but don’t make it the end of your learning.
- Commit to reading books, especially the Bible. Don’t let AI keep you from slowly reading the best books. There is a reason God revealed himself in a book that contains many genres of literature. Reading (whether silent reading on your own or listening to a book) is the preeminent medium God has given us for experiencing truth and beauty. When everything becomes a conversation with an AI chatbot, we are missing out on something deeper and more satisfying. Our God is a God of words. He speaks. Don’t settle for AI summaries. Read the Bible prayerfully for yourself.
- Stay tethered to real community and in-person connection. AI isn’t a replacement for human relationships. Many people today are turning to AI for more than answers and information. They are looking for connection with something outside themselves. Connection with AI is a weak substitute for in-person community. So talk and engage with your family and your friends in real life. Commit to being an active member of your local church. Relationships with other humans are messy, but connection with AI can’t truly compete with them.
Conclusion
AI is here to stay. It isn’t going anywhere. We can be thankful for ways AI makes our lives easier or helps us streamline tedious tasks. But we must also count the cost. The ecosystem of our culture and our lives is changing in many ways. Yet our calling as followers of Jesus remains the same: we take up our cross and follow Jesus, we proclaim the good news of Jesus to the world, we love God and our neighbor, and we do all for the glory and praise of our Lord.
- Jason Thacker, The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (Zondervan, 2020), Kindle, 20.↩︎
- I owe this observation to Tony Reinkie, who writes, “God taught us how to build rockets and planes like he taught the ancient farmer to grow crops. In every human discovery we find the Creator’s instruction. God is our tutor, and he ordains every link in the chain of technological revolution.” Tony Reinke, God, Technology, and the Christian Life (Crossway, 2022), Kindle, 102.↩︎
- “What Is Artificial Intelligence?,” NASA, October 4, 2024, https://www.nasa.gov/what-is-artificial-intelligence/↩︎
- Peco Gaskovski and Ruth Gaskovski, “The Sacred Triad: Where and Why to Resist,” School of the Unconformed (Substack), October 15, 2024, https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/the-sacred-triad-where-and-why-to.↩︎
- Neil Postman, “Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change” (speech, Denver, CO, March 28, 1998), https://student.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~cs492/papers/neil-postman–five-things.html.↩︎
- David F. Wells, God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams (Eerdmans, 1994), Kindle, 29.↩︎
Theology and Technology 