Is AI being created in the image of man or God?
I am a bit chagrined to admit that I haven’t given AI much thought. I am not the most technologically minded person. I find the concepts of AI hard to grasp. My understanding is limited to what I have been exposed to through our reading last semester, the very helpful Zoom session last week with Dr. Mario Hood on the academic uses of ChatGPT4, and now Eve Poole’s book, Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity. My most recent exposure to the possibility of AI ruling the world comes via, The Mitchells vs. The Machines. The animated movie was a favorite two summers ago when my grandchildren came for a visit. I read Poole’s book with the voice of Olivia Colman coming to mind, though in a much kinder Queen’s English.
I was surprised to read familiar names in the context of AI from the fields of psychology, philosophy, and religion. Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Daniel Goleman, Viktor Frankl, Rene Descartes, and David Hume came right along-side ancient thinkers and theologians like Plato, Aristotle, and St. Augustine. Adding scientists, authors, poets, and playwrights like Charles Darwin, Lewis Carroll, John Keats, and William Shakespeare to the mix, and a plethora of unfamiliar computer scientists gave a well-rounded introduction to the ethical and practical implications of AI. It was connecting AI to the analogy of the soul, referencing the Bible, and our Judeo-Christian concepts of God which intrigued and inspired me the most. Christians should be involved in AI discussion points. It is encouraging that Eve Poole is looking through the lens of soul to understand the benefits of programming human qualities into AI. Ultimately, her writing beckons me to attend to my soul, my relationships with others, and to God.
Reading Robot Souls has raised more questions than answers. Eve Poole’s thinking process is brilliant. The connections she makes are incredible! The ideas she presents worthy of deep consideration. I am impressed and admittedly struggling to make sense of it all. There were times when I was not sure I was reading about AI or my own soul. That is where my questions began forming. What follows are the musings of my not so brilliant yet curious mind and my sensitive soul.
You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in the heavens above or the earth below… Exodus 20:4
I have mixed feelings about being at the place of discussing how to program soul-like qualities into AI powered devices designed to make our lives easier. What are the implications for programming AI regarding values, morals, and ethics when we aren’t doing such a great job of defining them for ourselves? Though many people hold to universal ideals we don’t all agree on the value and dignity of human life. As Francis Fukuyama pointed out, “We need, in other words, a better theory of the human soul.”[1] Poole defined soul as, “the idea that we possess an ineffable spirit or vital spark that feels life giving.”[2] Who will design, create, and regulate the soul of AI? Are we taking for granted our unique design and creating AI in our image? If we create AI in our own image, are we not responsible to parent and nurture that which we have created? I think that is Poole’s point.
Poole explains that in computer programming junk code, which is redundant or dead code, might be mined for greater depth and potential in AI.[3] She proposes that conceptualizing junk code as soul and considers how failing to program it into to AI might be a mistake.[4] Poole identifies six human characteristics representing soul which have intentionally not been coded into AI: emotions, mistakes, story-telling, sixth sense, uncertainty, free will, and meaning.[5] All are important pieces of what makes us human. My own junk code needs continual attention. It is amazing how the human brain can think about itself, learn, and make adjustments. Will AI be programmed to do the same? Mistakes will inevitably be made. What is our responsibility to correct them?
I was momentarily relieved when Poole stated, “… it is not currently possible to code for soul or for consciousness, given the lack of agreement on definitions, and on whether either are codifiable categories“ confirming there is no global agreement on what that conscious might entail.[6] However, she opens the door for the possibility and a big question on how agreement with such high-stakes implications can be achieved. In his presentation on AI in educational assessments, David Boud warned of biases and misinformation.[7] Will coding AI with soul and consciousness correct or complicate these concerns?
You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3
Is AI yet another idol that ensnares us? Why do we need AI? I have to wonder if we humans just want easier and less complicated lives. Will AI accomplish that goal? Is AI capable of making us better, smarter, more ethical, loving, and less stressed human beings? With our infatuation with technology, compulsive attraction to screens, propensity to be entertained, and drive to create are we in danger of harming our own souls and becoming less human? Is AI an attempt to create a God in our own image, a being we can rely upon when we can’t rely on ourselves? Or is it possible that AI will move us to fully embrace the gift of our humanity? When all is said and done, I would rather spend time with real people than a robot with a soul and with God who created me in His image, loves me, and knows me. That is a mind-blowing reality far more exciting than AI!
[1] Francis Fukuyama, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (New York: Picador, 2018), 11.
[2] Eve Poole, Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2024), 146.
[3] Poole, Robot Souls, 74.
[4] Ibid., 124.
[5] Ibid., 142.
[6] Ibid., 115.
[7] David Boud, Assessment AI, 27032023.mp4.
About the Author
Jenny Dooley
Jenny served as a missionary in Southeast Asia for 28 years. She currently resides in Gig Harbor, Washington, where she works as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Spiritual Director in private practice with her husband, Eric. Jenny loves to listen and behold the image of God in others. She enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family which include 5 amazing adult children, 3 awesome sons-in-law, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and 8 delightful grandchildren.8 responses to “Is AI being created in the image of man or God?”
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Here was your mic drop moment: “What are the implications for programming AI regarding values, morals, and ethics when we aren’t doing such a great job of defining them for ourselves?”
What an observation!
The follow up to that is that WE who are not doing such. great job and the ONES that would be responsible for “programming.”
Buckle up.
John and Jenny,
This was the mic drop for me! Jenny, you wrote “Ultimately, her writing beckons me to attend to my soul, my relationships with others, and to God. YES! I love that you were able to land on this. I appreciate your voice and your thoughtfulness. And John, I appreciate you too. : )
Hi John,
Thanks for your comments. We are the ones programing AI. Any flaws and discrepancies are our responsibility. But for people like me who have no idea who and what ideas are behind it all and how those decisions are made it feels concerning. I think it was in the Zoom with Dr. Hood or maybe David Boud who mentioned that any interaction with AI contributes to its programming. I can’t wrap my brain around the possibilities. But if social media plays a role in shaping our values, morals, ethics, and souls, I can’t imagine that how we program AI would not in turn impact us similarly. Too many thoughts!
Great thoughts Jenny…thank you. I agree with John that you encapsulate a primary concern with your one sentence regarding our current deficiencies of managing ourselves as a species (let alone a new AI consciousness). If I am reading your blog correctly, you are wrestling with a similar question that I (and perhaps all of us) wrestled with in relation to our ability to program ‘souls’: Is that even within our capacity as human beings? It seems to me that this is God’s realm, not ours. However we might define life, soul and consciousness…they all boil down to our human uniqueness as made in the image of God. It seems to me that God is the divine source of this ‘life’ and we can co-create with him, but not in isolation from Him. ‘Life’ just doesn’t seem like it’s ours to give.
Hi Scott,
Thanks or your comments. I think you captured what it took me 1000 words to ponder when you wrote, “It seems to me that this is God’s realm, not ours. However we might define life, soul and consciousness…they all boil down to our human uniqueness as made in the image of God. It seems to me that God is the divine source of this ‘life’ and we can co-create with him, but not in isolation from Him.” In the end we can’t really breath authentic soul into machines so it is difficult for me to understand how attempts would be anything but artificial and to what purpose.
Is AI yet another idol that ensnares us? Why do we need AI? I have to wonder if we humans just want easier and less complicated lives. Will AI accomplish that goal? Is AI capable of making us better, smarter, more ethical, loving, and less stressed human beings?
These are great questions, and I think the answer to most of them is “Yes!”. They could become idols, they could help us live better lives, they could make us more effective, and they could be destructive. I think its like any other tool (or weapon) its all about who is holding it. I appreciate Poole’s questions to help us think about who we are as we create and develop this technology. I’m with you though, it is a little scary.
Who’s “holding” AI is the big question. I wonder if that isn’t part of what Poole is getting at by helping us think about all the ramifications. Do we really want to be responsible for AI? Do we really have the capacity to be responsible for what we create? What does that responsibility look like? I guess these are all leadership questions in the end.
When it comes to AI I think we are already responsible for it, Pandora’s box has been openned and it will probably not close unless something crazy happens, (God forbid) so your questions are valid!