When we become commodities ourselves, we lose touch with the personhood which is our intrinsic worth, our dignity. We also forget the value of each other and those relationships that have nothing to do with a transaction. This is built into our imago Dei. We are beings in the image of God.
In last week’s newsletter, “How Are Humans Unique?”, Drew helped us ponder what’s unique about Homo sapiens. How are we different from other animals? Ishiguro asks this question from another angle. How might we distinguish ourselves from AI?
What concerns Ishiguro—and what ought to concern us as followers of Jesus—is not that AI might become human but what we are becoming as the march of technological power continues.
Clearly, self-driving autonomous trucks will make truck drivers a relic of the past. The industry needs an army of engineers, mathematicians, and technicians to keep these systems working safely and at optimal levels. This seismic industry shift presents a prime opportunity for helping BIPOC students see STEM as a viable alternative… We can use our social capital, influence, and collective wisdom to help guide this shift in ways that are equitable and just.
The church has not yet fully grappled with the potential for technology to change human nature, and I believe we need to. Mercer and Trothen agree and notch up the urgency, claiming that “the religions of the world will come to an end, or thrive, depending on how they respond to the topic.”
Pretty much every day, I rack my brain to find examples for how churches can connect with science and technology to enhance their ministries.
On one such day, I thought of my friend Matt York, Executive Director of illuminAid, which “brings life-saving information to remote communities without access to internet or electricity.” Because the intersection of technology and science can be activated in almost any congregation in America, I decided to ask what led him to use his skills in video technology for the kingdom of God.
In this 1998 TED Talk, Billy Graham considers both the gifts of technology and the problems that it cannot solve.