As the use and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) grows, a recent report revealed that approximately 27% of jobs are at high risk of automation, putting millions of jobs in jeopardy. Low-to-middle skilled jobs are most at risk, including construction, farming, fishing, forestry and production and transportation. While adoption of AI is still relatively low, rapid progress, falling technology costs and the increasing availability of workers with AI skills suggest that the workforce may be on the brink of an AI revolution.
Concerns about AI in the workforce abound, with three out of five workers worried about losing their job to AI within the next decade. Additionally, a similar amount worry that wages would decrease due to AI, more than half of workers are concerned about privacy, and three in four say that AI has increased work pace, according to the report.
When it comes to the implications and ramifications of artificial intelligence, D. L. Moody Center (moodycenter.org) President Dr. James Spencer is a foremost thought leader, having recently released “Twenty Questions: Christian Resistance, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence” to address many concerns about the application. When it comes to fears about AI taking place of human workers, Spencer commented that while these might be well founded, AI can never replace humanity where it’s important — sharing the Gospel.
“Without a clearer understanding of what progress AI will achieve and what downsides it will bring, it seems impossible to assume that AI is a necessity rather than an option certain members of society prefer,” said Spencer. “Unlike a hammer or screwdriver, which have relatively discrete uses, AI models are intended to become more than tools. AIs are being designed to interact with and inform us. At this point, AI models might be considered tools. Still, the trajectory of AI development suggests that what is desired is less a tool than a companion capable of helping us to overcome our deficiencies. Like Eve was given to Adam as his complement to allow him to accomplish what God intended, so AI is being given to us as a means of transcending our limitations and reaching an unspecified goal of our own choosing.
“Living out our faith in a digital age is complex,” said Spencer. “The digital age has allowed the world (and us!) to become increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny God. As we listen to those stories, it becomes easier and more accessible for us to adopt the priorities and urgencies of the world as our own. As we seek to live out our faith in a digital age, we must learn to proclaim Christ in word and deed. We aren’t simply arguing with the world from a Christian perspective. Instead, we are embodying Christ by imitating Him in today’s world. We preach the Gospel and demonstrate what it means to live in the Kingdom of God by exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit and following the whole counsel of God’s word, even when doing so is inconvenient.
“Recent artificial intelligence (AI) developments make technological ‘advances’ seem inevitable. Perhaps they are. As such, Christians should be aware of technologies such as AI and be informed before adopting AI models, the metaverse, social media, and other digital technologies.”
“Twenty Questions: Christian Resistance, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence” addresses questions such as:
- What is AI?
- How might Christians think about AI?
- Is widespread adoption and use of AI models one of the general aims of those developing AI?
- How could the use of AI negatively impact the human brain?
- How might Christians think of AI’s aims and the gap between development and regulation?
“This guide is intended to provide some basic information about AI, as well as some frameworks to assist readers in thinking about technology and AI. My hope is that I have offered a theological perspective on these matters that will help Christians interested in this topic area ask better questions and demand better answers,” Spencer concluded.
The D.L. Moody Center is an independent non-profit organization located in Northfield, Massachusetts. Dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of Dwight Moody, the D. L. Moody Center is a catalyst for spiritual formation in New England and beyond through evangelism and discipleship.
The D. L. Moody Center is not a school. Nevertheless, there is much to learn by studying D. L. Moody and what God accomplished through his life which began in New England, at the Northfield, Massachusetts campus, the heart of Moody’s ministry as well as his childhood home.
Learn more about D. L. Moody Center by visiting moodycenter.org or follow the ministry on Facebook or Twitter.