AI: Artificial Intelligence or Genuine Wisdom?
Rev. Ho Chee Lai (Sharon BPC) will speak on AI and its impact on the world that we live in and will focus on the need for spiritual discernment and wisdom. He will also expound on the danger when AI is abused.

AI: Behind and Beyond
Rev. Isaac Ong (Calvary BPC) will focus on the historical and theological impact of AI, especially in the scope of the Christian lives, including that of the pastors and full-time ministers.

Question 1: Is it possible that AI could be the antichrist?

Answer: The Antichrist will be a person and not a machine. However, it is possible that the Antichrist will make use of AI.

Question 2: If human beings are fallible and prone to making mistakes, while AI chatbots too are not completely accurate, who can we count on to interpret and preach the Gospel?

Answer: Spiritual things are discerned by those who are spiritual. AI Chatbots are therefore unable to discern spiritual things. Only human beings who are led by the Holy Spirit will be able to interpret and preach the Gospel accurately.

Question 3: Is it acceptable for Christians to undergo body implantation of computer chips for the sake of convenience in commerce and transactions?

Answer: Christians should regard their body as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and therefore we should be careful about accepting any body marks (like tattoos) or implanted computer chips. It may be possible that the mark of the beast mentioned in Revelation 13:16-17 is a microchip that is implanted in the right hand or forehead. This is because only those who have the mark will be able to buy or sell. The world is increasingly using digital payments for all business transactions, but we need to use a card or a mobile phone app to do it. The problem with this is that scammers can easily gain control of a person’s card or mobile phone and drain all his funds away. The use of an implanted chip may then become the solution to prevent scamming. However, if this comes with the condition that those who accept this implant must worship the Antichrist or pledge their loyalty to him, then Christians should not accept it even though life will become very difficult for them. Only those who worship the Antichrist can receive his mark (Revelation 14:9 makes this clear: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand…”). Hence, it is unlikely that a Christian can unknowingly bear the mark of the Antichrist accidentally, merely by accepting a computer chip implant for the sake of convenience in commerce and transactions.

Question 4: If ChatGPT is so powerful that can it write speeches, sermons and theses etc, do we need to do bible study or attend church? Do we need a preacher at all?

Answer: Someone still needs to determine the kind of speeches, sermons and materials for ChatGPT to generate for us. This will depend on what our needs are. If we are the ones who determine what ChatGPT should generate for us, it is likely that we will get the kind of sermons and materials that we want but not what we really need, because we are blind to our own faults and sins. The one who determines what ChatGPT should generate should be someone else – someone we can be accountable to and who understands what we really need. This is what a church is meant to do – to provide us with accountability to spiritually-minded people who can discern our real needs and address them effectively with God’s Word. So the answer is that we still need to attend church and have preachers.

Question 5: Is AI technology a blessing or a curse? Are there lessons from history that can guide us through such technological disruption eg. Invention of printing press?

Answer: History has shown that like any technology, AI can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how it is used. The invention of the printing press was a blessing as it facilitated the work of the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century. However, it has also became a curse when it is used to facilitate the dissemination of false doctrine, fake news and defamatory information. Another example is nuclear technology. It is a blessing when it is used for X-rays, radiotherapy and the nuclear-powered generation of electricity. But it is a curse when it is used to make nuclear bombs that can destroy entire cities.

Question 6: Non-Christians believe in the power of AI to generate information leading to wealth and prosperity. AI is becoming their god. What can Christians do to forestall this?

Answer: We can tell them that AI may give them the illusion of power for a time, but as long as they are not reconciled to the living and true God, it will prove to be vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:14). AI can never be all that God is. Hence, their faith in AI is misplaced.

Question 7: Could AI potentially be employed by Satan and the Antichrist in the future to exert control over human life? Is AI considered a tool of the Antichrist? How should Christians approach or manage AI in light of these concerns?

Answer: About 50 years ago the same question was asked about computers: Are computers a tool of the Antichrist? If they are, should Christians refrain from using computers? The answer of course is no. The same thing applies to AI. Like any technology, AI is a double-edged sword – it can accomplish much good, but in the wrong hands it can accomplish much evil. So, yes, AI can potentially be used by Satan and the Antichrist to exert control over human life, but this does not mean that we should stay away from it completely. By all means, let us use it, but always keep its use within the limits defined by God’s Word. If an AI system is designed for the good of mankind, we embrace it. But if an AI system is designed for evil, no Christian should be part of it.

Question 8: Given that AI can assist in sermon preparation, language translation, and thesis creation among other tasks, what legal and ethical implications will arise for the students, seminarians, and the Christians concerning the use of AI?

Question 9: If there was a Christian AI, would it be possible for it to preach?

Answer: Only people can be Christians, not AI, as the definition of a Christian is one who confess Christ and is filled with the Holy Spirit. However, it may be possible for AI to be trained so that its output will be based on Christian values; if the dataset and trainers are so-inclined.

Question 10: What does the Bible say about using AI to preach sermons? Can AI become our preacher one day?

Answer: The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15 to study, or be diligent to “show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” We who are preachers must personally work on rightly dividing the Word of Truth, and we must constantly rely on God for wisdom and guidance to do this. There are no short cuts to doing this. There is nothing in the Bible against the use of tools such as E-sword and Logos Bible software to help us do this. There is also nothing against the use of online resources to help us craft, express and deliver our sermons more effectively. However, in preaching, God speaks to the heart of the preacher through His Word, so that the preacher can speak from his heart and tell his congregation what God wants them to hear. All sermons must therefore be the workmanship of the preacher, and not someone else’s work. We can certainly use AI as a tool to help us in preparing sermons. But we must never let AI take over the work of preparing our sermons, and all that we do is to preach them. Or worse still, to let AI take over both the work of preparing and preaching from us. And this implies that human preachers won’t be needed any more. If that happens, then all that is preached would be determined by what the congregation likes to hear, and not by what God wants them to hear. Then what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:3 will become true for us: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Question 11: Is there any correlation between AI and 666 as mentioned in Revelations 13:16-18, which controls buying and selling? Could 666 refer to the key aspects of man being soon taken over/controlled by AI?

Answer: It is too early to tell. We need to wait and see how AI develops. The 666 (mark of the beast) is just a mark implemented by the Antichrist to control the world economy. The mark itself is not an AI system.

Question 12: Which is a more acceptable outcome: (1) a Christian who could not properly explain his faith or (2) a Christian who uses chatgpt to augment his organising his thoughts on faith?

Answer: It is acceptable for a Christian who has difficulty explaining his faith to get help from ChatGPT or organise his thoughts on faith. ChatGPT is just a resource tool. However, he should be honest to acknowledge that he had used ChatGPT to help him so as not to give a false impression to others.

Question 13: If we make sentient beings [whether biological or AI] endowed with conscience, does that elevate us to a god-like status?

Answer: I doubt that we will ever be able to do this, but even if we do, that does not elevate us to a god-like status. The fact is we can never do anything unless God in His sovereignty allows it. The same question was asked years ago when the subject of human cloning was in the limelight. If man can make clones of himself does that make him like God? The answer is of course no. Man is created in the image of God; and AI is created in the image of man.

Question 14: AI has come down on us as an avalanche, with endorsement by secular authorities. The data fed into the AI system are amoral and the output from AI is a forgone conclusion. We can be discerning but how to fend off such an onslaught?

Answer: If we are fearful that it may be too difficult to exercise discernment to all the data that comes in the output from AI, then we can indicate in the prompt that we want the output to be limited to the position of the Reformed faith. This will avoid the inclusion of data from unbiblical sources. At the end, we still need to exercise discernment in the data generated by the AI system by comparing them with other reliable resources.

Question 15: God put wisdom in the hearts of men to create AI, we should consider how best to harness it for the delivery of God’s gospel?

Answer: Yes, like any technology, AI is a tool that can be harnessed for the delivery of the Gospel.

Question 16: How can we use AI to better understand the Bible?

Answer: We can use it like any Bible tool. For example, when we use commentaries, we cross-check the interpretation of the commentators with others. We should do the same when using AI to study the Bible.

Question 17: Is it in accordance with biblical principles for Christians to leverage AI in their ministry efforts and outreach within the Church?

Answer: Like all technology, AI can be put to good use. There is nothing inherently evil about an AI system designed for the good of mankind, since it is an outcome of the mandate God gave to man to subdue the earth and have dominion over creation (Genesis 1:28). AI is a practical application of the knowledge that man has gained as he understands more and more about the universe. We are responsible to use all our resources for the benefit of mankind and for the glory of God. Hence, AI can be used to promote God’s kingdom on earth and to reach out to sinners with the Gospel. But like any technology, AI must never replace God as the object of our trust.

Question 18: How can Christians make a positive influence on ChatGPT to train it more accurately?

Answer: AI chatbots like ChatGPT are governed by the regulations and policies of OpenAI which owns it. Employees, including the trainers, will be dictated by its policies. Should one day ChatGPT becomes compromised with the intention of generating outputs which are purposely contradictory to the truth of God’s Word, then, perhaps Christians could develop a new chatbot which is directed towards the truth of God. For example, we have YouTube for videos but there is also the GodTube platform which provides videos related to the faith (this is merely an illustration and we are not promoting GodTube).

Question 19: How about using AI to prepare Bible study; to gather the historical facts and backgrounds of the bible passage or book of the Bible. Is this OK?

Answer: Yes, this is OK. AI can be of a great help in generating outputs / facts quicker than the research done using a search engine like Google. We can utilize it for such a purpose. Regardless, we must verify its truth and exercise discernment over its output.

Question 20: Why is AI/the use of it so exceptionally vilified by the church/traditionalists?

Answer: We don’t think this statement is accurate. Church/traditionalists who vilify AI are probably only those who lack a clear understanding of how AI operates and are fearful of technology.

Question 21: Given that AI may and often excel over human beings in many areas; how can leaders maintain relevance in such a landscape of AI dominance?

Answer: Whenever any new technology takes over certain functions from man, man will respond by concentrating his energies on those functions that are not taken over yet. This is true of AI as well. It has its limitations. Although it excels over human beings in many areas, there are still certain areas it can never take over, e.g. creativity and originality, showing sympathy and empathy, and making ethical and moral judgments. Humans can therefore maintain relevance by developing in these areas that AI cannot take over. In the spiritual realm, there are also many things that humans alone can do which AI can never do, such as exercising faith in God and His Word, sincere prayer and worship, heartfelt praise and thanksgiving, loving one another, and sharing a personal testimony of God’s goodness. It will be a great act of depravity if human beings choose not to exercise the characteristics which define them as humans and let AI act and behave like them. That will be the end of mankind.

Question 22: Is the information generated by AI reliable? How do I discern whether the information on a website is generated by AI or not?

Answer: Generally, the information generated by AI is reasonably fine. However, not all the information generated by AI is reliable. There are times when ChatGPT hallucinates, i.e. it makes up facts when it is unable to provide what is asked. For example, lawyers have got into trouble for citing AI-generated court cases which turned out to be fake cases.

Question 23: Is ChatGPT better than human knowledge?

Answer: ChatGPT can never be better than human knowledge because all the data that is fed into it comes from humans. However, what ChatGPT can do better is to access knowledge from a huge number of humans to arrive at the best possible answers to questions.

Question 24: In an era of AI, how can we trust in beliefs (or exercise faith) when a preacher on a screen might be an avatar (a fake) rather than a genuine ordained minister?

Answer: Christ has warned us that there will be false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing but are ravening wolves inwardly. We are told to discern them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20) God has entrusted His Word to men who are called to preach it faithfully. When we recognise their calling, we can then trust that what they preach is sound. If any preacher deviates from sound doctrine it is the duty of those who are faithful to correct him. None of these things can ever be true of an avatar preaching on a screen. The avatar is not a person called by God to preach the Word faithfully, but is merely a man-made image that has no relationship with God. If the avatar has no calling from God, can it be trusted to be faithful in preaching? No, not at all. If the avatar preaches deviant doctrines, can it be corrected or disciplined? No. The bottom line is, we should depend not on avatar preachers, but on human preachers through whom God has chosen to speak to us.

Question 25: Should Christians shun AI? “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” Job 28:28.‬‬‬‬‬

Answer: There is generally no need for Christians to shun AI as there is nothing inherently evil about it. What Christians need to shun is AI that is used by evil people for evil purposes or AI systems which have been designed for evil.

Question 26: How should the Christian perspective be on AI which does not have consciousness?

Answer: Although AI can mimic consciousness, it does not have it because it is only a machine made by man. Only God can make creatures with true consciousness. The more we understand the complexity of human consciousness, the more we should exclaim, “I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.” (Psalm 139:14)

Question 27: How do we best harness AI for the cause of the gospel?

Answer: We can harness AI for the cause of the gospel when we are able to develop a large dataset based on the Reformed faith’s perspective and trainers who are able to train the AI effectively. Then the AI developed will be a reflection of what is taught in the Gospel.

Question 28: Can we setup an AI-FAQ for B-P church to collect selected bible AI-FAQ responses acceptable by our community?

Answer: That could be acceptable as the data and the trainers come from those within the church who understand the Reformed faith; and the AI’s duty is this case is limited to curating all these already approved information to be presented.

Question 29: How should we as Christians respond to AI when it replaces some of the human jobs?

Answer: This is a question of social engineering and managing the economy rather than a question of ethics or morality. Human beings are innovative and adaptable to changes in the environment. With the advancement of other technologies such as computer and robotics which replace some of the human jobs, humans have continued to thrive. The same may apply to AI.

Question 30: Can AI preach the gospel?

Answer: Not in the manner where the preaching of the Gospel follows what is defined in the Bible. The preaching of the Gospel is more than the presentation of the truth. Preaching is about soliciting a response from the people by presenting them with the truth of God’s Word. AI at best can only present the Gospel.

Question 31: Does or should the church have a stance on the use of AI technology in church for various ministries?

Answer: The Presbytery does not have a stand on the use of AI technology in the church as long as the output generated does not contradict the Reformed faith, the Word of God and that the use of AI does not constitute plagiarism.

Question 32: With the onset of dataism and AI comes a new set of challenges and temptations. (eg. misinformation, deepfakes etc) How can Christians take practical steps to guard their heart against this besides praying and looking to the Bible?

Answer: Christians need to exercise discernment and godly wisdom. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus already prophesied that the End Times will be filled with spiritual deception (Matthew 24:4, 11) and such that if it is possible, they shall even deceive the elect (Matthew 2:24). We must exercise godly wisdom in all things. Wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). When we lack wisdom, let us learn to ask for it from God who will give wisdom unto us liberally (James 1:5). When we fear God, we have nothing to fear in life.

Question 33: Is it possible to make a Christian AI? And if it is possible, can we trust it to teach God’s Word?

Answer: The definition of a Christian is one who has repented and experienced the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, and put his complete trust in Christ, and being regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. We can never make another human being a Christian let alone an AI. What we can do is to develop an AI which can give answers from a Christian perspective. Such an AI developed is limited in both the data fed to it and the theology of the trainers behind it.

Question 34: Should we then publish more on the internet in view of prompt engineering, so that we can seek to influence and improve the quality and truthfulness of information?

Answer: Sure, we can do more prompt engineering and train the AI to improve the quality and truthfulness of information. There is nothing wrong with that.