Countdown to killer robots?

In December last year, OpenAI launched Chat GPT-4. It’s the most advanced chatbot yet, employing cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI).

You can ask it any question and it will come up with an answer, because it has access to a colossal amount of data. This extends even to the finer points of Baptist covenant theology, as I discovered recently.

Despite the rapid pace of change and advancement, there are those sounding warnings. In February, more than 2,000 tech leaders, including Elon Musk, signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on further AI development. There are fears that everything is moving too fast and we’re simply not ready.

In recent weeks, the UK Government has also altered its stance. In March this year, the government published its strategy for AI. It was planning to adopt a light-touch approach and prioritise innovation. Rather than introducing brand-new regulation, the idea was to use existing laws where necessary to help manage the pace of change.

But Rishi Sunak has taken a tougher line. For the first time, No 10 have admitted that AI poses an existential threat in the world. The PM raised the issue at both the G7 and also with President Biden in Washington DC. He wants to see international cooperation to help ensure there are guardrails in place to prevent AI from threatening human existence.

What exactly are the threats? Firstly, there’s the manner in which AI is already enhancing surveillance. In China, facial recognition technology and other forms of state snooping on citizens are commonplace. In new legislation, the European Parliament has banned AI from being used for such purposes. Secondly, AI is playing a far bigger role in military conflicts than before. The prospect of ‘killer robots’ is no longer just something for dystopian sci-fi films.

In America, AI systems are being increasingly used in employment screening. But algorithmic systems, it turns out, can introduce bias in terms of gender, age and race. They also lack accountability and transparency.

These are but a few of the many ethical challenges posed by AI and its ongoing development, It must also be said that AI presents many wonderful opportunities. It’s already being used in medicine to good effect.

I think it’s worth pastors and church leaders investing time to get up to speed with what’s happening. The advance of AI is already presenting pastoral challenges. How will you respond when church members lose their jobs to machines? What about the intern who uses Chat GPT to write their essay or sermon? Or what about your elderly members who might be offered carebots as a means of relieving pressure on care workers?

We’re incredibly well placed to engage in upcoming debates around regulation and how best to manage AI advances. The Christian worldview offers a compelling framework on what it means to be truly human. In God’s word we find a Biblical balance on technology which gives us a starting point. AI can be used for good. AI can be used for bad. We’re all sinners, so excess and abuse will happen. But God’s common grace restrains and also gives gifts to non-Christians who are working in this space. So we need to insist on transparency and accountability as AI is developed and then put to use in our economy. With this in mind, we also need to be asking how we safeguard physical, face-to-face relationships. God has made humans as physically embodied. Human-to-human relationships are always more important than our relationships with technology or even pets.

All of this must and can be done without fear. The world will not end because of AI or robots. It will end when the set time, known only by the Father, has come. In a spirit of faith, not fear, and with a balanced view, we can add value to upcoming debates about AI and its proper place in our lives.

James Mildred is the Communications Manager for CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) www.care.org.uk