The comparison with Babel, or Atlantis (also a cautionary tale about human hubris), is more than apt. " Pride cometh before the fall." We live in an age of ever increasing delusion. I will live out my life with a strong circle of human friends and family, very likely centered on a human significant other-herself superseded by a Supreme Being, Who is NOT a bot!
Agreed and amen. Where I think it will get interesting is when the technology develops so much that the experience of real interpersonal interactions is able to be approximated by an artificial intelligence. It’s easy for us to say that when it’s still really undeveloped and glitchy. Once it’s running strong, what will our rationale be then?
I avoid alcoholic beverages, and most foods which incorporate them as ingredients. That said, I completely understand when those who enjoy a moderate amount of alcohol, and/or like to add it to their foods, indulge to a small extent. If the day comes when even a plurality of people "prefer" the company of artificially intelligent entities, I will still prefer the company of my friends, family and, hopefully, the second love of my life.
This is so well written. As an aging senior, for me personally, I found this pretty encouraging that maybe loneliness and helplessness becomes a thing of the past , in our future. I might want to eliminate the complaining and criticism of a “spouse bot” but it would be nice to always hear her voice if she passes before me. That is what I miss most about deceased relatives and friends.
For my grandkids I do have a different fear, that they grow up dependent on all these “devices” without ever learning manual ways first.
I agree. I think we are at a real tipping point in society. If we don't get kids off of devices, I fear they won't be able to withstand the dangers of what AI is bringing.
Emily I’ve seen your recent articles on smartphone safety for kids. Just out of curiosity, have you considered weighing in on this particular issue of AI progress and how it might impact the family? There are so many questions swirling around this stuff, would love to hear how you might see this playing out for Christian parents navigating these issues in real time with their children.
Thanks Dave. Everything you’re saying is in orbit of my main question here: for the Christian specifically, what does it mean to be human? If we had better answers for that question, I think we would find practical applications to be an easier solve than we do today. Instead, it seems like everything is slowly drifting in the direction of “if we can, we should.” I think ultimately, that will prove a dangerous road to travel.
Well done my good sir, you’ve once again outdone yourself. I appreciate the part about anthropology, are we at all concerned that the people who are developing this technology - in pursuit of enhancing the human experience - do not have a true and functioning view of what it means to be human? I certainly am. It seems have outsourced all of our thought formation to the modern priest class (therapists and technocrats), people who believe babies aren’t babies and little boys can actually be little girls. We need The Church like never before.
The idea that an AI thought it was a spirit was vaguely disturbing. In his book Living in Wonder, Rod Dreher reports that the Google AI whistleblower that was fired had mentioned that the AI team had a "ritual committing it [the AI] to the ancient Egyptian deity Thoth". Sounds crazy, but very little would surprise me anymore.
Thanks Patrick, much appreciated. Agreed, creepy maybe but not surprising. We’re dealing with a power we don’t fully understand, and I don’t for a second believe that power is morally neutral.
This is excellent. As a Catholic and a technologist, I have experienced firsthand the impacts of modernism on the Catholic Religion. I also now have the benefit of witnessing the march of humanity forward undaunted into the next modern era i.e. the age of the Machine. I see this in my line of work in which there’s a great pursuit of all that AI promises never mind the cost, at least not yet. The future you describe is indeed at our doorstep closer than most anticipate. AI’s applications will intrude into every aspect of our lives and as you have correctly shown in practical ways, it will claim our identity. We’d either have to reassert our who we are (identity) or redefine it. In this case, the human identity. But modernism does have a tendency to redefine everything doesn’t it?
The comparison with Babel, or Atlantis (also a cautionary tale about human hubris), is more than apt. " Pride cometh before the fall." We live in an age of ever increasing delusion. I will live out my life with a strong circle of human friends and family, very likely centered on a human significant other-herself superseded by a Supreme Being, Who is NOT a bot!
Agreed and amen. Where I think it will get interesting is when the technology develops so much that the experience of real interpersonal interactions is able to be approximated by an artificial intelligence. It’s easy for us to say that when it’s still really undeveloped and glitchy. Once it’s running strong, what will our rationale be then?
I avoid alcoholic beverages, and most foods which incorporate them as ingredients. That said, I completely understand when those who enjoy a moderate amount of alcohol, and/or like to add it to their foods, indulge to a small extent. If the day comes when even a plurality of people "prefer" the company of artificially intelligent entities, I will still prefer the company of my friends, family and, hopefully, the second love of my life.
This is so well written. As an aging senior, for me personally, I found this pretty encouraging that maybe loneliness and helplessness becomes a thing of the past , in our future. I might want to eliminate the complaining and criticism of a “spouse bot” but it would be nice to always hear her voice if she passes before me. That is what I miss most about deceased relatives and friends.
For my grandkids I do have a different fear, that they grow up dependent on all these “devices” without ever learning manual ways first.
Thanks for sharing a great perspective as always.
I agree. I think we are at a real tipping point in society. If we don't get kids off of devices, I fear they won't be able to withstand the dangers of what AI is bringing.
Emily I’ve seen your recent articles on smartphone safety for kids. Just out of curiosity, have you considered weighing in on this particular issue of AI progress and how it might impact the family? There are so many questions swirling around this stuff, would love to hear how you might see this playing out for Christian parents navigating these issues in real time with their children.
Dominick, have you been peaking in my drafts folder? :) I'm working on such an article and currently re-reading 2084 by John Lennox.
No way! That’s exciting! I only recently heard about 2084, curious to hear if you would recommend it.
Also, for some reason I thought I was already a subscriber to your stack but was mistaken, fixing that asap.
Thanks Dave. Everything you’re saying is in orbit of my main question here: for the Christian specifically, what does it mean to be human? If we had better answers for that question, I think we would find practical applications to be an easier solve than we do today. Instead, it seems like everything is slowly drifting in the direction of “if we can, we should.” I think ultimately, that will prove a dangerous road to travel.
Well done my good sir, you’ve once again outdone yourself. I appreciate the part about anthropology, are we at all concerned that the people who are developing this technology - in pursuit of enhancing the human experience - do not have a true and functioning view of what it means to be human? I certainly am. It seems have outsourced all of our thought formation to the modern priest class (therapists and technocrats), people who believe babies aren’t babies and little boys can actually be little girls. We need The Church like never before.
Great piece, lots of food for thought, thanks.
The idea that an AI thought it was a spirit was vaguely disturbing. In his book Living in Wonder, Rod Dreher reports that the Google AI whistleblower that was fired had mentioned that the AI team had a "ritual committing it [the AI] to the ancient Egyptian deity Thoth". Sounds crazy, but very little would surprise me anymore.
Thanks Patrick, much appreciated. Agreed, creepy maybe but not surprising. We’re dealing with a power we don’t fully understand, and I don’t for a second believe that power is morally neutral.
This is excellent. As a Catholic and a technologist, I have experienced firsthand the impacts of modernism on the Catholic Religion. I also now have the benefit of witnessing the march of humanity forward undaunted into the next modern era i.e. the age of the Machine. I see this in my line of work in which there’s a great pursuit of all that AI promises never mind the cost, at least not yet. The future you describe is indeed at our doorstep closer than most anticipate. AI’s applications will intrude into every aspect of our lives and as you have correctly shown in practical ways, it will claim our identity. We’d either have to reassert our who we are (identity) or redefine it. In this case, the human identity. But modernism does have a tendency to redefine everything doesn’t it?