Artificial Limits

DM 21st August 2023

“And on that farm he had a bot, AI-AI-O.” What a world is the world of Artificial Intelligence. How quickly the digital cogs turn, and how rapidly the line is approaching when we won’t be able to tell the difference between the real and the artificial. Alan Turing would smile from the grave, and be pleased that his famous test moves one step closer each day to its quizzical zenith.

How this will change humanity, in terms of psychology and social interaction and living in the global village, is yet to be discovered, although our experience with smart-phones and social media platforms are some of the entrées. But the progress will have its boundaries and limit, and not all will be possible, despite the hubris of ideologues. Our basic human constitution and our basic human need will always remain the same.

The wisest man who ever lived researched the question and came to this conclusion: “There is nothing new under the sun”. Not meaning of course, that there are no new inventions, nor discoveries, nor medical advances, but that the basic human situation does not change. Human beings will always carry a dignity above the animals. It’s part of the imago dei. Human beings will always struggle with sin. It’s part of our fallen condition. Human beings will always be offered a door of redemption. It’s called the gospel. And human beings will always have to stand before their Maker. It’s unavoidable, and cannot be AI-AI-ed away.

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