Artificial Intelligence

I was preparing to write about AI (Artificial Intelligence) today, something I started last week, before I even heard about the public interview with Elon Musk.  What he said added to what I will write here.  In general, I’m following two threads of thought.  The first is the potential control of AI or whoever possesses the keys to AI.  It relates to eschatology.

Many of you already think about it or thought about it.  Maybe you already don’t put very much trust in institutions.  I typed “human institutions,” but there isn’t any other kind.  Every institution is a human one.  How “off the grid” could any one person live and still fulfill his purpose for existence?

Dependence

Would I be wrong to say that something like 99% plus of people today depend on electronic systems?  I draw a circle around myself and start working my way out.  To start, I’m typing this on a laptop computer connected by WIFI through a router to the internet.  As you read this, it started here where I sit and reached you through an amazing pathway at maybe something like the speed of light.

The power grid now depends on massive computers.  The decision to bring generators on line or cut off an overloaded portion was not long ago done by people.  In congested areas, computers control automobile traffic.  Close to 90% use a mobile phone for that communication.  These too are powerful computers.

Money

Even if only 40-50 percent of people use mobile banking, me included, all banking is computerized.  Like probably all of you, I don’t see my money, if currency is money.  Currency isn’t money, when it’s worthless as paper and ink. Some of you reading have gold somewhere, actual physical gold, in what you hope is a safe place.  I hope that will work for you if or when everything breaks down.  Maybe someone will trade you something you need for the gold you possess.

I hate to say this, but almost all of my money could disappear in less than one second of the time computers started controlling everything.  Or, more likely in my opinion, when someone controlling all the computers took control of everything with the computers.  I did not earn much in my lifetime, but I did relatively well with stewardship of the small amount.  Still, all of that wealth over my entire lifetime could vanquish in one brief moment.  How do I or how would I stop it?

Diversification?

The adage, don’t put all your eggs in one basket, I think I follow it.  However, I have all of those eggs under the dominion of computers in some fashion.  I own property.  A computer says I own property.  Maybe a piece of paper sits in a file somewhere too, but I’m really not sure on that.  When computers take over, can I use a computerized mobile phone to talk to a real person about my ownership of that property?

I was thinking about this subject as it related to college loans.  I finished college and graduate school with zero debt.  Other people out there have huge money they owe.  A few people could in essence push one button and all of that debt disappears.  Someone got paid.  Instead of the student or his parents paying, everyone shares in the elimination of their debt in a computer.  That’s you and me.  We’ll pay that modern art professor or critical theory instructor with higher expense for eggs and milk.

How to Prepare?

Much more could be said.  What we know from the Bible is that at some future time on earth, a few people will control everything on earth by controlling the power to buy or sell.  It’s much easier to see how they can do that.  If anything close to that occurs before that future time, like a dress rehearsal, how should I prepare for that?

Programmed to Deceive

This year at Easter time, and I prefer Resurrection time, I prepared a resurrection sermon.  In doing so, I read what ChatGPT, an AI, wrote about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I read this article with eagerness, because I thought that the AI would write without bias.  AI would take all the information on the internet and tell the truth.  It did not.

As a disclaimer, ChatGPT was relatively objective.  It said the resurrection of Christ had historical evidence.  However, it called it still a matter of faith, differentiating that from, what we might call, a historical event.  That part of the ChatGPT’s assessment others programmed into it.  They would not allow ChatGPT to call the resurrection true, just function according to all the information out there.

Present powers don’t want an objective AI presence.  They want to program parameters and algorhythms for purposeful misinformation, a bias that supports their view of the world.  Scripture indicates that in the future deceit will increase to all time proportions.  A few people could easily use a ChatGPT to fool more people than the lies already occurring.