Artificial intelligence, commonly abbreviated as AI, is all the rage today. Emeritus Stanford Professor John McCarthy is credited with coining the term in 1955. He defined AI as “the science or engineering of making intelligent machines.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines artificial as “made, produced, or done by humans, especially to seem like something natural.” Merriam-Webster defines intelligence as “the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations.”
The applications for AI appear endless, but it seems as if we mere humans think of AI solely in terms of computers. Computer AI is becoming so advanced that I could speak to my iPad, and it would write a very good article for me. Children are using AI on their smartphones and having AI do all their homework for them. Adults are using AI to write reports for work. Undoubtedly, some pastors have graduated from the laborious task of preparing sermons directly from YouTube to having AI generate the Sunday message. Yes, I realize the previous comment is rather blunt, but unfortunately, it is true! I digress.
While the term artificial intelligence is relatively modern, the concept is very ancient. Does the Bible point-blank say anything about artificial intelligence? Of course not. As stated, the term was coined in 1955. However, if we consider synonyms for artificial and intelligence, that opens up a world of possibilities. Please stay with me as I try to explain.
First, let’s consider a few synonyms for the word artificial: Unnatural, exaggerated, fake, false, simulated, premeditated, hollow, feigned, empty
Next, let’s consider a few synonyms for the word intelligence: Reason, sense, mind, sight, discernment, judgement, wisdom
Please note that if the reader does not look up the scriptures referenced in this article, it may be difficult to understand the intent of this subject.
Again, even though the Bible does not use the exact term artificial intelligence, it does, however, use several synonyms. What Satan told Eve was an unnatural, exaggerated, patently false, premeditated, hollow, empty, perversion of what God said. That old deceiver played upon mankind’s sensual desires, thereby clouding mankind’s judgment, so that they could not discern God’s true wisdom.
Remember that old serpent the devil’s conversation with Eve in the garden. How he tempted and deceived Eve with the hidden knowledge from the tree of life.
Genesis 3:5 KJV – For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
The temptation to be as gods, was too much for both Adam and Eve. Notice it says “gods” as in more than one authority! See 2 Corinthians 11:3.
However, what happens if my godly wisdom is of a different opinion from your godly wisdom? According to the Bible, the Cain and Abel story is what happened. One little-god enforces his wisdom on the other, even to the point of murder. Then the murdering god goes about trying to establish a city full of like-minded gods. These temporarily like-minded gods seek out other communities through conquest, forcing their godly wisdom upon the weak. As they temporarily agree upon a communal sensual course, they decide to try to do away with the true wisdom that is from above. See Genesis 11, especially verse 4.
Remember the Old Testament story about the Tower of Babel. These civilized gods, driven by their own “unnatural wisdom,” want to build a tower up to heaven to destroy the one true God of all wisdom. I hope it is obvious that I am using various synonyms for artificial intelligence. I am not intending to be condescending or purposely insulting, but I must point out that “unnatural wisdom” is a synonym for “artificial intelligence.”
In Genesis 1, God declares seven times that what he made was good. After God created man on the sixth day, God beheld everything he had made and declared it “very good.” The Genesis creation story is structured to make it memorable. The literary device used in the Genesis seven-day creation account to aid memorization is a mnemonic. The ancient Hebrew writers often used this number-word association technique. All seven days have Biblical meaning, but the number seven is significant because it represents God’s covenant (promise) to redeem humanity from sin. Bible students will see these themes in the Biblical creation narrative fully developed from Genesis to Revelation.
To conclude this article, I’ll just focus on the goodness of God’s creation. There was no inherent sin in anything God made; it was all good.
Sin only entered the world when man, of his own free will, lusted for knowledge and chose to be his own god. Therefore, nothing humankind makes from God’s good creation is inherently sinful, until man uses it for some purpose which God did not intend. A statue has no inherent sin until some man worships it as an idol. Any device made by man, especially computers, is built from the dirt God declared good. The computer has no sin; only those who use it to facilitate their lustful desires can sin. That is my concern about the power of artificial intelligence. If we use it for the glory of God, then good. If we use it for sin, then Lord, help us.
One might accuse me of selectively picking a few Bible verses out of their original context. Perhaps I am. You be the judge. See Acts 17:10-11 KJV.
Listed below are several verses concerning what the Bible says about “Unnatural Wisdom:”
James 3:13-18 KJV – Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. [14] But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. [15] This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. [16] For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. [17] But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. [18] And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
See also Proverbs 3:19, Romans 1:15-32, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Job 28:28 and much more.