Kerby Anderson

Jeff Dornick argues that “We Need to Rethink AI Before It Destroys What It Means to Be Human.” He begins by reminding us that America was built on the foundational belief that we are created in God’s image. We are free agents and should not be managed and should not be made to be obsolete.

He then shows how AI and robots will be taking over more and more human functions. He talks about the self-driving robotaxi and Optimus, the AI-powered humanoid robot. Tesla showed Optimus “babysitting children, teaching in schools, and even serving as a doctor.” In another scenario, “Optimus is flipping burgers and even working as a waiter and bartender.” He wonders if robots and automation will replace service and human connection.

We should also mention the fact that Elon Musk wants to merge our brains with AI through his device known as Neuralink. It could erase memories and create new ones. That might be helpful for trauma survivors but dangerous in the hands of authoritarian governments.

He raises some of the concerns I mentioned in previous commentaries. It is one thing to automate tasks and relieve workers of mundane and repetitive tasks. It is quite another to automate thoughts, memories, and decision-making. Obviously, we don’t want robots rearing our children, even though we should admit they are being schooled every day by their digital devices.

He concludes by suggesting that we need “a national course correction.” We should require that future AI developments operate within clear ethical and constitutional boundaries. I would be glad to provide you with my free booklet on A Biblical Point of View on Artificial Intelligence. We need to start a conversation now about the future of artificial intelligence.