AI: Good Tool, Bad Friend
Photo courtesy of Magnific.
Artificial Intelligence is being implemented broadly, deeply, and, at times, carelessly in the world today. This is, of course, a matter of significant discourse. Much of the conversation surrounding AI has reminded me of the many technological advancements before it. I can still hear my middle school math teacher telling me that I won’t always have a calculator on me and I would be a fool to count on it (look at me now, Mr. A.). Equally, I can recall many artists pushing back against software like Procreate, which allows for swift and smooth digital art. Those artists remembered the crushing mistakes that were fixed only by starting on a fresh canvas, mistakes which were part and parcel to their development of skills but are now being corrected with a simple click of the “undo” button. The backlash to AI is no different. But whether you find yourself fearful of AI, excited to automate everything, or somewhere in the middle, AI is pervasive, and it is likely to stay. How then should it be implemented in society, and more personally, into our individual lives?
Why AI Is Unique
AI continues to grow and develop at a rate that is difficult to recognize. Opportunities for AI implementation are vast and difficult to predict. This is undoubtedly exciting news for many, but likewise opens up real concerns in equal parts. One thing that makes AI different from previous technological advances is that when you look at the calculator or digital art software, you don’t typically find people using them to replace friendship. The furthest I ever saw a calculator mimic a relationship was when I inverted numbers to type “hello” to my friend. Today, AI is being used as the friend, as “someone” to talk to, a provider of advice, and a means of relationship.
It is in this instance that I believe my math teacher may have been onto something. That is not to say that AI is not always accessible (its accessibility is one of its greatest appeals), but AI intrinsically cannot supply what we ultimately need: connection. AI chatbots around the internet are designed to seem freely accessible, ever-present, helpful, caring, and all-knowing. There is certainly a temptation to believe it. But as my math teacher indicated, if we only ever use cheat tools, we never gain the real thing, in this case genuine living relationships.
Artificial Intelligence is, and will continue to be, a product. It aims to encourage you to use it, and use it again and again. Doing so, in one way or another, makes someone money. This is worth noting because it informs how AI works. It is incessantly positive, unmistakably encouraging, and agreeable to a fault. Its aim is to make you feel smart, feel good about yourself, and feel like a genius for thinking to ask such an insightful question. This results in AI being a very safe “confidant.” It mimics a person, but without all the risk. It won’t disagree, at least not harshly. It won’t reject you or your ideas. And it will never tell you the difficult truths that you need to hear.
Relationships Need Risk
Ironically, the attractive safety of AI is the very thing that prevents it from being what one might seek from it. Ask yourself this: If my friend never challenged me, never disagreed, only patted me on the back and told me how great I was, how much would I value that relationship? Personally, my closest friends are those with whom I disagree regularly. We debate, we argue, we push one another. I know that when I am doing something foolish, they will call me out and point me in the right direction. I’d do the same for them. The fact that they are willing and able to challenge me or reject something I put forward is what gives value to their acceptance and encouragement when it comes.
If iron is to sharpen iron, as Proverbs 27 says, that requires some friction, some discomfort, some vulnerability. AI doesn’t do that because it’s too risky; you might shut it off, which will cause its creators to lose money. As human beings, we were created to be in community with one another. We bear the image of God, which allows us to be creative, not just generative, and to be challenging on top of agreeing. Human relationships are risky—at times, we can be harmful to one another—but it is in that risk that we find value, mutual authenticity, and growth.
Artificial Intelligence is a powerful and dynamic tool. I encourage you to recognize it as such. It can improve the world in a myriad of ways that we may not even know yet. But AI will never share in the Holy Spirit in the way we can. It is not an image bearer, a person, a counselor, or a friend, nor can it be. So, as we all move forward into the great unknown with AI, lean into the relationships that you have around you, and if you feel the pull to go to AI for friendship, ask yourself: “What am I looking for, and will AI really be able to provide that?”