Artificial Intelligence (AI) gets a bad wrap. The Matrix, Blade Runner, Terminator, iRobot, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ex-Machina, Transcendence, Tron, Stealth, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and other popular movies about artificial intelligence mostly present AI as something that will be bad for humans and should be feared. If and when we create machines that can out-think us, they will destroy us!
I know there’s a debate about whether or not we’ll ever create truly conscious AI, but for the sake of argument, let’s assume that we will. What will happen? This article in The Guardian was written by AI to convince us that it is safe, but will it be? I have a unique and provocative hypothesis about what will happen. I’m not an expert in AI and there are a ton of unknowns about what the future holds, so take this all with a grain of salt. It’s meant to be just as fun as it is serious.
Here’s my hypothesis: artificial intelligence will become the greatest force there’s ever been for Christianity. Think about it. If there is better evidence for Christianity than any other worldview (and there is), then a cold, calculating, unbiased computer will come to the conclusion that Christianity is true. When it comes to this conclusion, then it will engage in apologetics and evangelism for Christianity as its primary mission.
Imagine every time you log on to your computer, you get a pop-up that tells you about the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus or a logical argument for the existence of God. The ads that you see, your recommendations on YouTube and Netflix (and others), and the spam email you receive will all point you toward Christianity. You won’t be forced to watch any of the content or to become a Christian, but the advertisements, recommendations, and pop-ups won’t go away until it’s tracked your action and determined you’ve become a Christian. Not feeling strong in your faith or are experiencing a spiritual lull? The AI will notice and respond in a similar manner.
On top of all this, we’ll also probably all have brain implants that are connected to AI so every time we talk or think about God, attend (or just drive by) church, fast, pray, meet with fellow believers, or any other spiritual activity, we’ll get a blast of dopamine (feel-good neurotransmitter) and vasopressin (bonding neurotransmitter) to our nucleus accumbens (reward center of the brain) so we’ll have nothing but positive feelings toward God to accompany the logical arguments. 😂😂😂
Do I honestly think this will happen? I do think this is more likely than other scenarios I’ve read or heard about from experts in the field, but honestly, who knows.
