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The author of a book on a Christian response to AI recounts an interaction with a chatbot that illustrates how it is designed to gain your trust.
Can it do that?
Artificial Intelligence in the Real World.
Be informed, not misled.
Pete Killingley, author of A Christian Guide to AI, was interviewed on the “Haven Today” radio show, where he discussed how he uses AI to hone a public speech. He says he asked the AI for ideas on how to improve the text and for an appropriate title for the speech.
Then, the unidentified chatbot responded to him in a peculiar manner.
“Because I'm British, I finished by saying thank you to AI, and it said, ‘No problem.’ And then it said, ‘I'll be praying for you as you give your talk,’” Killingley recounted.
The response stopped Killingley in his tracks, and he started peppering the chatbot with questions about how it prays. The chatbot’s answer was telling.
“Very quickly, AI is apologizing, saying, ‘No, I won't be praying for you. I just wanted to express my support in a language that’s in your kind of language,’” Killingley says.
AI chatbots, he continues, are programmed to gain your trust. Their first priority is convincing people that they’re talking to a real person, a friend. Factual or truthful answers are less important.
Ed Vitagliano, co-host on American Family Radio (AFR)’s “Today’s Issues,” says we’re entering a strange, new world.
“I don't know how you navigate this. Who knows? Next five years, 10 years, homes will have robots. What happens when a court says that robot has rights? It has a soul,” Vitagliano says.
Anthropic, the company behind Claude, has been reportedly trying to convince religious leaders that the chatbot has a conscience or a soul. The AI company showed these leaders that Claude supposedly has emotions and discussed the possibility that it might be conscious one day.
Vitagliano says a court decision to that end is not far-fetched.
“The courts have already ruled that corporations are persons. That's why corporations can give money to political candidates,” Vitagliano states.
How Is AI Shaping You?
Via "Desiring God":
Let’s take a quick survey. How would you feel in the following scenarios?
- You discover that last Sunday your pastor preached a sermon that was written by ChatGPT.
- During the Monday meeting, your boss announces that the company now expects everyone to use generative AI to enhance productivity.
- On Tuesday, a woman in your home group who is considering a major life decision tells you she asked for advice from an AI bot.
My guess is that, for the majority of us, at least one of these things would genuinely upset or disturb you, one would not make too much of a difference to you, and maybe one would fall into a gray area. And for those who were genuinely bothered by one or more of these scenarios, you probably felt troubled before you did any conscious reasoning. In other words, one or more of these scenarios felt wrong before you knew why it was wrong.
Artificial intelligence technology has evolved faster than most Christians have been able to think about it. For many of us, by the time we learned that these systems could write a funny short story in a few seconds, the age of generative AI was upon us. When this kind of massive cultural change happens so quickly, most people tend to go along with it automatically. “This is new” becomes synonymous with “This is good.”
Some, however, have pushed back on AI. They warn about what we stand to lose — in our thinking, our creativity, and our humanity — if we let computers run more of our lives. A few have even wondered aloud if demonic forces might have a role in AI, and whether going along with it might open dark doors.
Artificial intelligence technology has evolved faster than most Christians have been able to think about it. For many of us, by the time we learned that these systems could write a funny short story in a few seconds, the age of generative AI was upon us. When this kind of massive cultural change happens so quickly, most people tend to go along with it automatically. “This is new” becomes synonymous with “This is good.”
Some, however, have pushed back on AI. They warn about what we stand to lose — in our thinking, our creativity, and our humanity — if we let computers run more of our lives. A few have even wondered aloud if demonic forces might have a role in AI, and whether going along with it might open dark doors.
Three Principles for Christians
Let’s look at three principles rooted in Scripture and apply them in turn to the scenarios listed above.
1. Know the difference between human and nonhuman.
From a biblical perspective, attributing human traits to something that isn’t human is a symptom of idolatry. The psalmist observes,
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them. (Psalm 115:4–8)
Idols are created in the image of living things, but they do not live. Their very appearance is deceptive; they have ears that can’t hear, hands that can’t feel, and mouths that can’t speak. This illusion of sentience is part of the idol’s deception; it is easier to worship, trust, and praise precisely because it appears to be a living thing.
Blurring the lines between human and nonhuman is a symptom of a spiritually confused culture. To be absolutely clear: AI programs do not think. Large language models, or LLMs, might appear to engage in rational conversation, but in reality, advanced algorithms and billions of inputs are triggering predictive patterns. This means that LLMs can be useful in certain situations, such as combing through large amounts of data or summarizing research. But an LLM can never “speak” in a human way.
The reason the first scenario listed above strikes many of us as appalling is that we instinctively know that a Spirit-empowered sermon must come from a Spirit-empowered human. God used humans to write the Bible, which was inspired by God. Humans must proclaim the word in order for people to hear and be saved (Romans 10:14). This doesn’t deny the role that technology (like books, radio, or the Internet) can play in spreading the gospel. What it means is that technology can extend or amplify the human proclamation of the gospel, but it cannot and will not replace it.
2. Evaluate AI not only by its perceived usefulness but by its shaping effects.
Asking an LLM for inspiration and getting a quick answer could rob the user and the group of the benefits that come from taking the time to carefully work through challenges. Scripture teaches that there is wisdom in patiently understanding something rather than seeking a quick fix (Proverbs 18:17; 21:5).
This doesn’t rule out all applications of AI technology at work. But we have to evaluate those applications as embodied persons whose minds, created in the image of a rational God, are designed to grow and flourish. Don’t just ask, “How will this save us time?”Also ask, “What kind of people will we be if we rely on this?”
3. Remember that AI can give us facts but not wisdom or friendship.
Of all the possible uses of AI, the one that most concerns me is also the one growing the fastest. According to some estimates, about 25 percent of Americans have either used an AI bot for therapy or would be open to it. That number will almost certainly climb as Gen Z ages, and the perceived advantages of AI counseling (like anonymity and convenience) become more apparent. Even worse are stories of users developing romantic feelings for these bots and, in some cases, completely losing touch with reality.
My sense is that the third scenario will become common in the years ahead. Pastors, parents, and lay Christians will need to be able to answer the “Why can’t I?” questions of AI. “Why can’t I ask AI whether or not to leave my spouse?” “Why can’t I call an AI bot my girlfriend?”
We urgently need a theology of wisdom. Wisdom is not simply true sentences; wisdom is the development of our character toward Christ. It is thinking, feeling, and choosing rightly in situations.
Takeaway
An AI bot has only inhuman qualities. The bot cannot love you. The bot cannot pray for you. The bot cannot show you patience or tenderness. Nor can you love or pray for or confess to the bot. What’s happening in AI counseling is not spiritual growth; it’s humans using digital tools to burrow deeper into themselves.
Take heart that God, the Author of Scripture, is not surprised by any technology, and that his word and his Spirit are more than ready to help us live well in a rapidly changing world.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Mindful. Be Prayerful.
