PUFFER COAT POPE
There has been a lot of talk in the world around ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence chatbots. You may have seen people talk about it or generate images and text using these AI models. In a nutshell, ChatGPT uses learned information to generate human-like responses from questions and prompts.
You can ask AI chatbots to write you a prayer, sermon, or a 10-step discipleship programme. You can ask it a theological question and it will give you an answer. It is also able to generate images that look realistic; you may have seen the picture of the Pope in a large puffer coat (https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/pope-francis-in-a-white-puffer-is-fake-news-but-what-happens-when-we-can-no-longer-trust-what-we-see/15237.article).
Artificial Intelligence has been hogging headlines for a long time but this recent advancement has led to a surge in popularity as ChatGPT has had more than 100 million users within the first two months of its launch and has peaked at 13 million daily visitors. This has led to Universities banning the use of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots for essays over fears of plagiarism and exam boards have released some guidance for schools on how to approach the use of AI in classrooms (https://schoolsweek.co.uk/chatgpt-exam-boards-publish-ai-guidance-for-schools/).
I asked ChatGPT to write me a three-point sermon on the resurrection of Christ. Within 10 seconds, it gave me a three-point sermon with scriptural references.
Title: "The Power and Hope of the Resurrection"
Point 1: The Reality of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
- The resurrection of Christ is not a myth or legend, but a historical fact supported by eyewitness testimony and fulfilled prophecy.
- The reality of the resurrection gives us confidence in the truth of the gospel and the power of God to overcome death and sin.
Point 2: The Significance of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:17)
- The resurrection of Christ is not just an event in the past, but a present reality with profound implications for our lives.
- The significance of the resurrection includes the defeat of death and sin, the confirmation of Christ's identity as the Son of God, and the promise of our own future resurrection.
Point 3: The Response to the Resurrection (Romans 6:4)
- The resurrection of Christ demands a response from us, both in terms of belief and action.
- Our response to the resurrection includes faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord, baptism as a symbol of our new life in Him, and a commitment to live in the power of His resurrection and the hope of eternal life.
Conclusion: The resurrection of Christ is not just a historical event, but a present reality with profound significance and demands a response from us. Let us embrace the power and hope of the resurrection by placing our faith in Christ and living in the light of his victory over death and sin.
In this case, the sermon was very short but it is a good backbone for humans to add onto. The more specific the prompt or question, the more specific the answer will be. This poses many questions about how Christians and Churches should or should not use ChatGPT and other AI Bots.
LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING
There have been concerns over these advancements. In recent weeks we have seen Elon Musk and other leaders in the tech industry signed an open letter to halt AI development. There are concerns that the creators can predict or reliably control AI. ChatGPT has been banned in Italy due to data concerns and personal information being used to help train ChatGPT. AI is advancing at such an explanation rate, there is not enough legislation and regulations that provide helpful and safe boundaries for consumers.
Furthermore, when we look at how Christians and Churches can apply this, I think we have to be careful, especially when we are using this to help with strategy, writing sermons, prayers etc. We must still rely on the wisdom and direction of God, we can often get caught up in strategy and doing stuff that we neglect to keep Jesus at the centre of what we are doing and allow him to direct our steps; Proverbs 3: 5-6 says: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”. Tools like ChatGPT can be useful but we must keep Jesus at the centre of what we are doing and allow Him to dictate what we do and say, especially when it comes to preaching, AI has no understanding of the context of your congregation and their needs. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We must allow Him to direct us in what we say and do.
On the other hand, I can see some ways ChatGPT and other AI chatbots can be useful for Christians. You can ask it to explain a Bible verse or provide a summary of a book of the Bible you are reading; the explanations and information given are short, simple to understand and very accessible for new Christians or those who may want a quick summary. It can be used to help aid in studying and gaining a greater understanding. Often when I am studying the word I use the internet to search for commentaries and other insights into what I am looking at, I often find it overwhelming to dig through blog after blog explaining things in great detail, I have personally found ChatGPT helpful; answering my questions simply and quickly, without me having to dig deep into articles, blog, videos, podcasts to understand the context and other things.
WHAT NEXT?
In conclusion, there is so much debate around Artificial intelligence and the associated pros and cons. The advancement of GPT and other AI is exciting. We can use it in our daily lives to make life more convenient but I feel that is as far as it can go. There is so much noise about how AI is projected to overtake humanity in terms of intelligence, emotional capacity, rationality etc. It is important to take a step back and understand that AI is made up of clever coding and algorithms that help it mimic human behaviour but we are created in the image of God. We have qualities and capacities that reflect His nature and character, such as our rationality, creativity, moral sense etc. These are things AI can’t replicate.