Why Artificial Intelligence Will Kill Millions

2023-07-03

About ten years ago, I began my first job as a software developer. I had transitioned from the prospect of fulltime ministry to this new endeavor. Having been in school for several years obtaining my computer science degree, I had lived a rather frugal life to ensure enough money to complete my education and have enough to live.

One thing that was commonly used was the cellular phone, and I did not have one. During my first week of orientation, I explained to some of my new colleagues that I did not have a cell phone when asked for my telephone number. They were dumbfounded and laughed, not believing that anyone young and tech-minded would be without one. It was around that time I got my first phone.

Fast forward to today, there are things that require mobile phones. I cannot access certain websites required for work without one because of two-factor authentication (2FA). This extra layer of security is a good thing. However, the principle I want to point out is that as time goes on, life gets harder to live without technology. That which was a novelty in the past is nearly required for survival today. About 25 years ago, the Internet was such a novelty, but it is needed for both work and private life today.

When I heard about the advent of certain artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and the maturation of AI, many sounded the alarm about great changes that would come. There were scares about entire careers becoming irrelevant for years, but now it is more evident than ever.

This is a lot to worry about. However, is this all there is to worry about?

In the beginning of this post, I mentioned I once was on track to be in fulltime ministry. I am a Christian, which means I hold to the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life found in Jesus Christ. I believe in His vicarious death, burial, and resurrection, and that He will come again in the future.

So, when there is an intersection of tech and faith, it causes me some intrigue. Understand that, because the last book of the Bible was written nearly two millennia ago and all the greatest advances in tech are in recent centuries, anything about tech the Bible hints at are going to be eschatological (end times) in nature.

The title of this post is a rather audacious one. Notice the word “will” and not “might.” If one has any faith in the Scriptures, and it says something is true, what choice is there but to believe it?

Is there artificial intelligence in the Bible? Is there something that is not really alive, but has the appearance of being alive? Or is there something that is actually brought to life? There is, and it is called the abomination of desolation. This will be an idol that is brought to life, and it is described in Revelation 13:14-18.

The Bible foretells of a time where the world will be under one united government. Out of a world of chaos and various factions fighting, a single ruler will emerge. The ruler, known as the Antichrist or the Beast, will purportedly be killed but will be healed of his deadly wound. He will have a second-in-command, commonly known as the False Prophet, who will create an image representing this ruler. But unlike all the idols in history, this one is going to be a bit different. Here is what will happen:

[The False Prophet] deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:14-18)

This image will be brought to life and be able to speak. Anyone who does not participate in the worship of this “living” idol will be killed. Furthermore, there will be something that will be placed into every human being who worships the Beast and his image. Those not having this “mark” will restrict them from any financial transactions. Anyone who does not take part in this new economy will be killed. Notice that the image is killing people who do not worship the Beast: “...that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

One can easily see how this could be implemented in our time. The tech is there for a cashless society. The artificial intelligence is well on its way to being there.

The question to ask ourselves is, when is enough, enough? It will never be enough for the world. They will keep inventing and progressing until they are interrupted somehow. However, for the Christian, when do we draw the line in the sand with which tech we use and which we don’t? If we draw the line in the sand at arbitrary place “X,” there will come a point where “X” will be required to participate in society in some way. Eventually this “mark” will be required. The line in the sand must be drawn long before then.

I have more questions than answers now. Is the artificial intelligence we have today with these chatbots the same as what is described in Revelation 13? Who knows how many steps exist between now and then, but surely you can see the progression. At this point, all I am proposing is to pray for wisdom and watch what is going on in these times, knowing how it all is going to end.