During the height of World War II, there was a frantic race amongst several countries to develop a nuclear bomb. Nazi Germany certainly had a head start. Though Hitler and his minions did not really come close to creating nuclear weapons, it was their technology that ultimately became the fodder for many of the other countries’ creation of a nuclear bomb. America was first to do so in 1945 and utilized two bombs — on Hiroshima and Nagasaki — to both hasten the end of the war in the Pacific with Japan and to introduce the world to the destructive power of the atom. Just four years later, the Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear test followed very shortly thereafter by Britain, France and later China.
In each of these situations, the task of creating the potential nuclear destruction required massive infusions of money and people in each of these countries to come to fruition. At the same time, the specter of the Cold War required each holder of nuclear power to come to the negotiating table. They all desired, at least to an extent, both to control each other in the use of these highly destructive weapons as well as to limit the number of other countries who could obtain them. In recent times, the saner world leaders have been greatly concerned about rogue nations like Iran and North Korea obtaining the ability to destroy the rest of the world through the attainment and use of nuclear weapons.
While all of the calamitous outcomes of nuclear power usage in war were being considered, there was also great thought given to the benefits of harnessing this massive energy potential for the common good. Still to this day, the peaceful use of nuclear power for domestic purposes is on the tip of every thoughtful person’s tongue as we face the inevitable limitations of alternative energy production sources.
Now the world is again faced with a dilemma similar to that of the creation of nuclear power, both for potential good and evil. The concept of the use of artificial intelligence has burst onto the scene in a manner that few could have foreseen. In this scenario, however, it was not a massive infusion of monetary and human resources that led to its creation, but rather individuals with powerful computers and the ability to manipulate algorithmic calculations to create images and information from “thin air.” The ultimate usefulness of artificial intelligence is mind boggling in its implementation. At the same time, the catastrophic harm that can be wrought by artificial intelligence is infinitesimal.
In seeking to harness the advantages of artificial intelligence while simultaneously limiting its ruinous attributes, world leaders of 28 countries including the US, China, and members of the European Union have come together to sign the Bletchley Declaration. According to a recent report, “The British institute . . . will serve as a potential global hub for ‘international collaboration on . . . safe development’ of artificial intelligence. The institute will also seek to work with leading AI companies, including those in the US and Singapore, to help avoid potential risks.” While the effort may be admirable in its inception, the reality is that the control of artificial intelligence is ultimately doomed to failure. It is one thing to try to rein in the likes of Kim Jong Un or Ali Khamenei and their villainess fiefdoms, but it is quite another to even find the young “genius” tied to an apron string locked away in his mother’s basement, spewing out a sequence of instructions to his computer, thereby creating a blueprint for mayhem. And as we all know, once the information is out into the deep world of the internet, there is no calling it back.
At Southern Evangelical Seminary we are well aware of the wonderful, potential impact that artificial intelligence can have on the promulgation of the Gospel. Navigating through this brave new world, we are now in the process of collaborating with strategic partners to utilize the wonders of this technology in our endeavor to meet the call of the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. In fact, new announcements should be forthcoming shortly, detailing some of these anticipated undertakings. Perhaps even, it will be through artificial intelligence that the Gospel will be transported to the four corners of the world. At the same time, we are also cognizant of the grave dangers that come with this new technology. Elon Musk was quoted in the same report saying “he found a ‘strong probability’ that AI ‘goes wrong and destroys humanity.’” Although he did not explain how that would happen, as long as humans create the technology, we will always have the capacity to destroy ourselves.
As for America in particular, God has been patient with us for an exceedingly long time now, but His patience will not last forever. There is no doubt, at the very least, that we find ourselves living in the days of the final realm of the Revelation.
After a distinguished career as both a lawyer and a judge, Judge Phil Ginn retired as the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for the 24th Judicial District in North Carolina. Over the course of his 22-year judicial career, he was privileged to hold court in almost 50% of the county seats in North Carolina. Currently, Judge Ginn serves as the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary.