Why we (still) need a statement of principles for AI; Bible Study: Jesus covers our sin

Maybe you’re keeping up with the discussion surrounding artificial intelligence. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s Jason Thacker hopes you’ll ask the right questions. Thacker writes, “One of the fascinating aspects of the current cultural conversation on AI is how quickly people have become entranced by these technologies, especially after the launch of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. While many are excited about the advances these tools may bring, many are incredibly disturbed by their dangers and risks. Debates over the future of AI have centered on the reality that these tools are doing things once reserved solely for human beings, leading many to ask the age-old question: What does it mean to be human? 

The perennial question of what it means to be human becomes even more important in this age of emerging technologies. In the statement, we addressed it by affirming the unique nature of humanity and denying “that any part of creation, including any form of technology, should ever be used to usurp or subvert the dominion and stewardship which has been entrusted solely to humanity by God; nor should technology be assigned a level of human identity, worth, dignity, or moral agency.” This is rooted in the Christian understanding of how God bestowed a unique status on humanity with the imago Dei. 

While we rightly debate how to mitigate the risks and promote the good of technological advances, the Church must not give into the moral panic induced by AI, nor should we passively allow others to shape the conversation in ways that are directly at odds with the Christian tradition. As Carl F. H. Henry wisely noted, the center of the Christian ethic is the concept of love which is modeled in the Great Commandment given to us by Christ (Matt. 22:37-39). The Church must see the love of God and love of neighbor, manifested in recognizing the dignity of all, as central to the ongoing work related to AI and its role in our society. “

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Anyone who has ever purchased a home knows there can be a big difference in what the buyer or seller sees and what a certified home inspector sees. We may try to look beyond the things that appeal to us, such as the layout of the house, the size of bedrooms, and so forth. Or we may see a crack in a ceiling or a door that doesn’t shut well, but the inspector doesn’t stop there. He’ll investigate why the ceiling is cracked. He’ll crawl under a house and see problems we don’t. His trained eye sees things we can’t with our limited view.

We can also have a limited view of God. For example, the way you deal with sin says a lot about what you believe about God. If you think God will forgive your sin because it’s no big deal, your view of God is too small. If you think God will not forgive your sin because He is a harsh and angry God, your view of God is too small. Let’s discover the right view of God, one that will move us to run to Him when we sin.

The message of Psalm 32 is that there’s greater joy in uncovering our sin and finding forgiveness than in trying to cover up our sin. And a right view of God allows us to do just that. But to understand and experience the joy and blessing of God’s forgiveness, we not only have to understand who God is, but we also must understand the nature of sin. David used three words that help us with this. First, transgression. This is an act of rebellion against God. It’s crossing God’s line. Second, sin. This is a term that refers to missing the mark. Whether it’s intentional or unintentional, we fall short and that’s sin. Third, iniquity. Iniquity indicates crookedness, a wrong act, and a conscious twisting of God’s will.

It’s an act of love when God’s hand is heavy on us because of our sin. The good news is that with confession and repentance comes forgiveness. In verse 5, David used the same three words he had used earlier — transgression, sin, iniquity == but in reverse order. David held nothing back in what he confessed! There is no sin that our God won’t forgive when we confess it. There is no guilt He won’t take away when we reveal it.