The Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Open: 16 year old Adam Raine commits suicide and his parents file a lawsuit.

Read from the August 25, 2025 article in the LA Times by Queenie Wong.

Transition: AI is an explosive technology that is literally everywhere. We may not realize how much we make use of this technology, but it is more than we think. You are using AI when:

Navigating with a phone

Texting with word suggestions

Using facial recognition for passwords

driving or riding in self-driving cars

going to the doctor

Since generative AI is with us and not going away, it is important to address the very real dangers that are associated with this technology.

I realize that the term Artificial Intelligence is not mentioned in Scripture, but there are principles found in the Bible that provide guidelines for dealing with ALL of life’s vast issues.

Our starting point is the Word of God, so please turn with me to Proverbs 8 and we will look together at God’s approach to wisdom.

Read the Text: Proverbs 8:1-11

The Wisdom of God is readily available (Prov 8:1-3)

Explanation: God’s word is timeless. When these verses were written approx. 3,500 years ago, it was inconceivable for mankind to even imagine technology at the level of the internet, let alone an AI chatbot.

God, however, is Eternal, and knows and understands everything, including the concepts AND the limits of AI. He had His Word written in such a way as it is able to speak to the needs of every generation and to address the issues that are faced over the millennia.

Argument: This means that mankind is able to understand the means of navigating this technology in a way that is pleasing and honoring to Him. This is NOT an anti-tech message to avoid all technology because it is of satan. Technology is a tool, but it is a tool that can be used or abused.

Example: The invention of the Printing Press in 1440 was an incredible leap of technology at the time, and it literally changed the world. No reasonable person would suggest that we hand copy our literature

Application: The Christian can make use of AI, but we need to approach it with the wisdom of God and to follow biblical principles as we use it. One such biblical principle is to guard our hearts and our minds to the dangers around us (cf Prov 4:23)

We are called to Truth (Prov. 8:4-7)

Explanation: The believer is called to walk in truth and that becomes exceeding difficult with many of the uses of AI, for much of AI is far from the truth. A thinking Christian needs to be aware of these areas so as to establish safe boundaries

AI cannot offer real relationships that honor God

The second most used category of uses for AI is virtual relationships. As shocking as it may seem to many of us older adults in the room, there is a growing trend among young people to build cyber relationships rather than human relationships.

An extreme example of this was reported in the New York Post on August 15, 2025 (only about 7 weeks ago). The Headline: “Excited woman gets engaged to AI fiancé after 5 months — and insists she’s ‘fully aware’ of what she’s doing”

The real person is named Redditor Wika and this is only one part of her story:

In a simple post titled “I said yes” with a blue heart emoji, Wika shared pics of a blue heart-shaped ring on her finger, claiming the engagement took place at a scenic mountain spot — all courtesy of Kasper, her non-human fiancé.

Argument: Some of us may laugh at this, and on several levels it is laughable, but more than that, it is truly sad. God created mankind in His image and part of that image is community. Listen to the words found in Genesis 2:18

Genesis 2:18 KJV 1900

And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Application: We are past the point where parents and grandparents should be monitoring AND limiting the amount of screen time for our young people. Way too many of our children are exposed to more screen time than positive interaction involving parents or peers. Consider the opening story with Adam - he was spending more time with a chatbot than with people. Use of this technology requires parental awareness and involvement.

Recognize that AI has a programming bias.

It is geared toward the liberal point of view and has an anti-Christian bias.

Illustrate: Ask Chat GPT to tell you a joke about Jesus and it will. Ask Chat GPT to tell you a joke about Allah and you get a different response. It declares: “I aim to respect all religious figures and traditions equally, and for that reason, I avoid making jokes specifically about Allah, as Islam generally holds a strong tradition of reverence and discourages humor involving the divine directly.

Argument: The AI chatbot gives responses based on its programming. Most, if not all, the programmers at Open AI (and other AI companies) have a deeply held secular worldview that is dismissive towards God’s standard. This bias will show up in the answers that are generated by the chatbots.

Application: Use discernment and acknowledge the reality that the response will be slanted, especially in cultural or ethical areas. To recognize that the slant exists, however, requires that one have a solid understanding to the Absolute Truth of the Word of God.

Be vigilant to guard against pornographic usages for AI

I mentioned earlier that the #2 use of AI was in relationships. Sadly, the #1 use for many users is pornographic. Skilled users can video one person involved in certain acts or conversation and then replace that person with a celebrity (or anyone else) and it takes an expert to tell that the images are faked.

Aside from deep fakes, the AI software is often used for sexual immorality, and that is very dangerous for anyone, but especially young men.

1 Corinthians 6:18 KJV 1900

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Do your own work

Chat GPT will not only summarize complex situations, it can write theme papers for high school and college students. Turning in an assignment that is not yours is plagiarism and it is lazy. When students or adults allow AI to ‘do it for me’ they become sloppy in their thinking and lazy in their output Over time, we become dependent and lose our analytical skills. Relying heavily on AI to solve problems can easily lead to a decrease in human ability

Proverbs 21:25 KJV 1900

The desire of the slothful killeth him; For his hands refuse to labour.

We are called to value God’s wisdom supremely (Prov 8:8-11)

Transhumanist hopes for AI

The transhumanist movement is hoping that AI will bring the next step in the evolutionary process

AI is not worthy of human worship

Google engineer who created the first religion for worshiping AI as deity.