Leveraging Generative AI for Human Flourishing – A Biblical Perspective on AI
— by Christos A. Makridis
When the Father gave Adam dominion and instructed him to name all the animals, that wasn’t just a command for Adam’s time – it is an adventurous mandate for us today too. God created us in His image, so whenever we advance human flourishing through our work and ideas, that is an expression of His creative power in us.
Today, we are tempted to think of technology as a computer or algorithm, but the reality is that technology has been around since the origin of man – simply in different forms. Adam used his creativity to create a system for naming and classifying the animals.
What does this mean for faith driven entrepreneurs looking to develop their own biblical perspective on AI?
Artificial intelligence (AI) – whether we like the name or not – brings us a step closer to walking in the mandate that the Lord has endowed us with to speak things into existence. For example, Romans 4:17 mentions “the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” In other words, we serve a God who can create something out of nothing. The Lord commands us to use the same creative and prophetic capabilities (“Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” – Ezekiel 37:4).
Before continuing, let’s pause on defining AI. There is a lot of debate about its definition and how it differs from automation. My aim isn’t to get into the weeds of what AI is and isn’t.
For simplicity’s sake, I’m going to say that AI is the application of optimization algorithms in a setting where there is stochasticity – that is, uncertainty. In fully deterministic environments (i.e., no uncertainty), we have automation: if X, then Y. But in stochastic environments, we can build AI models and systems to dynamically navigate uncertainty. By navigating uncertainty, we can foster human flourishing.
Today, there are two ways that AI can function in a society, business, or any other application: narrow and general AI
Narrow AI
Narrow AI refers to AI models that are developed and tested to solve a specific need. For instance, my work in the area of financial technology involves building AI models to predict credit risk and forecast macroeconomic activity. But those same models would perform extremely poorly in completely different contexts, such as healthcare or inventory management, without new data and separate tuning.
General AI
Large language models – also known as foundational models, which have led to the term “generative AI” – are different in that they are developed and tested to handle much more complicated and general-purpose environments. That is why you can even have a conversation with generative AI and ask it a whole host of questions.
Let’s Consider AI as a “Prophetic” Instrument
These capabilities make generative AI a prophetic instrument. We learn in Genesis 1:3 that the Kingdom of God is voice-activated, in a way. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. If we have been filled with Holy Spirit, then we have are able to speak truth and accomplish God’s will through speaking in God’s name. We see this happen in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
And technology – “the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area” – simply serves as an extension of our toolkit in advancing the work of the Father: to bring life. The difference with generative AI is the scale of its capabilities. We can speak a command into ChatGPT and see results come to life right before our eyes.
The Drawbacks of AI
And yet, just as generative AI can advance human flourishing, it can also be used to stifle it. We have seen, for instance, the rise of malicious uses of AI among cybercriminals – people using generative AI to identify vulnerabilities and exploit them. But the potential malicious uses of AI are not unique; any technology can be abused. For example, we’ve seen how social media, especially Instagram and TikTok, has been used by predators to solicit minors into human trafficking. Similarly, we’ve seen how vehicles can be used as weapons in crowds.
Practical Applications for AI from a Biblical Perspective
So, how do we use generative AI to advance human flourishing?
Treat technology as a complement, not a substitute
The minute we fully outsource our inherent responsibilities, we get disconnected from the process of co-creating with the Father. There are some activities that are inherently sacred and require our personal investment of time and energy. It would be ludicrous to think of outsourcing parenting to a chatbot, so it is equally egregious to outsource, for instance, writing a sermon to generative AI. We must use discernment to identify the areas where our participation in the activity is essential and others where technology can amplify our impact.
Remember that technology is not a solution to our problems
Let us not forget that technology has always existed in different capacities. That we’ve always had problems highlights that the root issue is not technological, but rather human. The solution to our individual and collective problems is Jesus – the Word made flesh.
Put technology to work and get outside your comfort zone
One of the temptations we face is to be content with a plateau. But Jesus calls us higher each day – and that means getting outside our comfort zone and walking in intellectual curiosity. There are a wide array of generative AI tools that are worth experimenting with, so reflect on the areas of your life that might benefit from working smarter, not just harder.
We are in the process of a tectonic transformation in the way we work and live – let’s rise to the challenge of using generative AI to speak and create life, rather than standing on the sidelines.
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Faith Driven Entrepreneur is thankful that Christos has chosed to share his biblical perspective on AI with our audience. We hope this perspective sparks conversation as you and your colleagues discuss the role of AI in the faith driven workplace.
Christos A. Makridis is the CEO/founder of Dainamic, a financial technology startup that uses AI to help small and mid sized banks make better decisions and forecast economic activity. He also holds appointments at several academic institutions and has authored over 80 peer-reviewed research papers and 200 stories in the media. Christos earned doctorates in economics and management science & engineering from Stanford University.
Excited to learn more about how faith driven entrepreneurs can use technology to advance God’s kingdom? Check out our podcast featuring Chris Yeo. Chris is the CEO of Digital Mission Ventures and is reshaping the Singapore tech scene.
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We are in the process of a tectonic transformation in the way we work and live – let’s rise to the challenge of using generative AI to speak and create life, rather than standing on the sidelines.