How AI Impacts Faith

Current perceptions of AI may challenge people's faith more than the actual technology itself. Hopes and fears about an "artificial superintelligence" far outstrip what current AI systems are capable of. Experts agree, the depictions we see in movies are decades away at best, if not altogether unlikely or even impossible. Nonetheless, popular opinion believes that advances like these could bring about "robot overlords" and replace humanity in some significant way. Hopefully, this report can help right-size people's expectations, hopes, and fears.

AI Winning Jeopardy!

IBM's famous Watson beat reigning human Jeopardy! champions. However, a team of scientists working for 4 years helped Watson learn from 10,000 previous Jeopardy! questions using the equivalent of 6k-10k desktop computers. David Ferucci, the IBM scientist who directed the Watson project, pointed out, "Humans do all this with a brain that fits in a shoebox and is powered by a tuna-fish sandwich and a glass of water" (source). And while the other contestants walked off stage and made their way home after the match, IBM's Watson AI system depended on others to unplug it, pack it up, and haul it away because it has none of those other capabilities. AI systems today are highly specialized and trained for specific tasks. Humans will do well to recognize what these systems can't do just as much as what they can.

Encouraging Deeper Research

For individuals who still find their faith challenged by the prospect of AI systems, one way to support them may be to encourage them to dig deeper into AI research and learn what its true capabilities are. Use their findings as a springboard to discuss their concerns and questions. AI systems certainly present real questions about what it means to be human, so a biblical theology of the image of God (imago Dei) may help orient the conversation for further exploration.