Is Artificial Intelligence a 'resounding gong'?

Some of my most precious times as a father are when I get to share cultural moments that shaped me, with my children – blasts from the past. For example, when the radio plays an Oasis song and, to my surprise, my teenagers sing along to every word with me.

In these moments of shared cultural experience, our generational divide vanishes. To them, the song is “retro” – to me it is “nostalgic”. But we are united in that moment.

I had a similar opportunity over half-term, when one of my sons, who is currently studying for his A-levels, asked me to watch the film 2001: A Space Odyssey with him.

Although its original release was before my time, it had gained a cult following in the 1990s when I was of a similar age to my son. We shared a moment.

Artificial intelligence (AI), morality and self-examination

This Stanley Kubrick classic, co-written by Arthur C Clarke, revolutionised cinematography and still inspires millions of people today (note: spoilers incoming!).

The film begins with a crude presentation of prehistoric cave-dwelling hominids struggling to survive. The intervention of an assumed alien monolith leads to the advancement of tool design that takes humanity into space.

The film was first released in 1968 and predicts a future society of video calls, flat-screen technology, instant food and AI (sound familiar?).

The monolith reappears buried on the Moon and directs a crew to Jupiter, where the protagonist travels through a star-gate and transcends into a higher form of humanity.

Most relevant to today’s discourse is the antagonist HAL 9000 – a supercomputer, designed to be infallible and support the crew on Discovery One in their mission to Jupiter.

Presented to us by a simple glowing red light through a lens, HAL recognises the inevitable risk of human error to the mission. A fatal conflict occurs between man and machine that reveals the hubris of HAL’s programmers. Both parties saw the killing of the other as the resolution; despite the technological advancement that has brought humanity out of caves and into space, morality has not progressed.

The film uniquely gives you, the viewer, time to reflect on such huge themes through hypnotic orchestral pauses that accompany your journey through the vacuum of space and the tale of human and technological evolution.

My humble interpretation is that the film uniquely and ingeniously reflects upon itself and takes us (the audience) with it on this journey. I think the film achieves this position through the monolith, creating moments of revelation to remind the audience that human progression is not found through the blind following of external technological innovation, but in the introspection that new technology may allow.

In my opinion, the film itself utilised the latest cinematography to help its audiences look within, and it calls us to approach any material advancement in the same way.

Questions upon questions

This moment of nostalgia between my son and me as we watched and discussed this masterpiece spoke into today’s contentious discourse surrounding AI, which I think is an arms race between the "tech bros" that is likely to change our society forever.

• Will AI be for our ultimate good? Or will it simply emulate and amplify the fallen minds of its programmers?
• What precautions should governments take in its adoption?
• How should AI be regulated?
• How can AI serve us in a way that allows humanity to look within ourselves and ultimately grow morally?
• How can we stop this new technological age from causing humanity to descend further into selfish, servile dependency?

Unsurprisingly, the Bible speaks directly into this question.

In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul writes:
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

AI has already advanced development in areas such as drug discovery, diagnostics, treatment and disease prediction, climate modelling, material science and workflow automation for businesses. But AI cannot love.

AI may be able to fathom all the mysteries of mankind and have all knowledge, but without love it is just a clanging cymbal. We must hold fast to this truth as we seek its application.

Love as defined in 1 Corinthians 13 expresses uniquely human qualities, and this is something we must all savour as we negotiate our way through this new technological revolution.

We must take personal responsibility when using AI, seeking benefits that will allow us to love, rather than mimic our fallen nature as in the case of HAL 9000. We must ask ourselves how AI can help our relationships with others, rather than cause us to become resounding gongs.

What an opportunity AI can bring to the church if we use it correctly.

As AI continues to permeate our society, the church can stand firm as a loving refuge for the heart in a society of hardware – soul care instead of software, touch instead of tech; a monolith of authentic human interaction and reflection; a community that can create cultural moments that transcend time and space as we look to our eternal Saviour, who alone can bring true progression and transformation.