Artificial...Intelligence?
by Gordon Graham
ar·ti·fi·cial - ärdəˈfiSH(ə)l - adjective : made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, especially as a copy of something natural.
The above definition is from Google’s English dictionary provided by Oxford Languages. Of course, as hell-bent fallen man denies God the Creator, the phrase “occurring naturally” is used. More precisely and appropriately, artificial denotes man made, not God made, especially as a copy of something God made.
“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
-John 1:3
AI is computer-based simulation of the human thought process. It is understood that it would be impossible for a creation of man to ever achieve actual understanding and comprehension of either language or the world around it, as it is simply a set of rules which process symbolic information.1 Even so, AI can process gargantuan amounts of information seemingly at the speed of thought, and thus can be an amazing resource for information research.
So while the term may be a misnomer, so-called "artificial intelligence" is highly functional as applied to a search engine connected to the information superhighway known as the world-wide-web... its almost like having the fictional character Lt. Commander Data - the self-aware, sentient and sapient, anatomically human male android from Star Trek - at your right hand as your “answer man”.
AI available to us today is voice communicable, and with a female voice selected for audio responses, can naturally be referred to as “she” who can access multitudinous sources of information nearly instantaneously, and then process them all and synthesize the data to specifically address any query posed... its like getting a research report without spending hours developing it manually, i.e. doing all the research, transcribing, organizing, etc. yourself.
Then follow up questions can be asked like at a press conference... she stays on topic (keeps the data buffered) until you decide to start a new one... which can be done rapid fire style with responses processed at who-knows how many cycles per second... in ExoHz? ...AND it presents a transcript of each "conversation" with all sources listed & linked.
Needless to say, such was not available back in the old school days when we used to have to go to a physical library building and pore over stacks of physical books to cull information visually and then transcribe it w/ pen & paper... typewriters were coveted back then..
Experience with Bing’s AI-powered search “chatbot” demonstrates the effectual functionality of this technologically advancing platform. Here is the transcript of a conversation presenting what I thought would be overly challenging queries along with the responses which exceeded my expectations:
Me: Can you search reformed Christian theology questions
AI: Reformed theology is a branch of Christianity that follows the teachings of men like John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli. It emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of Scripture, and the need for personal regeneration².
If you have any specific questions about Reformed theology, you can check out Ligonier Ministries³ or Reformed Answers⁴ for trustworthy answers to biblical and theological questions.
(1) Theology of Reformed Christianity: What is Reformational Theology and ... https://churchmyway.org/theology-of-reformed-christianity
(2) Questions & Answers - Ligonier Ministries. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/qas/.
(3) Reformed Answers to Bible and Theology Questions. http://www.reformedanswers.org/
(4) 10 Things You Should Know about Reformed Theology. https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-reformed-theology-2/.
Me: What is the Holy Spirit's attribute(s) that makes Him the "Comforter"?
AI: The Holy Spirit is a loving Comforter who is faithful, untiring, wise, safe, active and ever-present¹. The Holy Spirit works to vindicate the righteous against the attacks of the ungodly. The concept of Paraclete also includes the role of Comforter. This has two aspects to it. He is a tender source of solace to the wounded, the defeated, and the grief-stricken. The second aspect is equally important³.(1) Seven Attributes of The Holy Spirit - Heaven Awaits. http://heavenawaits.com/biblestudies/holyspirit.html.
(2) The Holy Spirit as Comforter (6/11/2020) - Essential Truths of the ... https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/essential-truths-of-the-christian-faith/2020/06/11.
(3) 1D: Holy Spirit as Comforter, Guide and Teacher | Truth Unity. https://www.truthunity.net/books/holy-spirit-regeneration-holy-spirit-as-comforter-guide-and-teacher.
(4) How Can I Recognize and Understand the Holy Spirit Better?. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/how-can-i-recognize-and-understand-the-holy-spirit-better.html.
(5) Attributes, Qualities, Functions and Power of the Holy Spirit. https://www.bibleresearch.org/--/become-immortal/the-spirit-of-god/attributes-qualities-functions-and-power-of-the-holy-spirit.
I hope that helps!2
And indeed, visual representation can be engineered into pre-programmed AI, as shown by this video gone viral on the internet:
Let us stand for using so-called “artificial intelligence” responsibly and ethically as image bearers of God and good stewards of all He has created.
~
1 conservapedia.com
2 Bing AI chat, 6/28/2023
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Gordon Graham is a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and Clerk of Session at Auburn Road Presbyterian Church in Florida. Husband of one wife, father and brother of two each, and brother in Spirit of many, he also writes under the pen name of Gorphilus DeJesus at:
