Progress has led to some wonderful advancements. That’s true. And it’s equally true that all progress doesn’t always make our lives better. And often makes it worse.

We need to stop rationalizing our slide into the artificial. This can happen in big and small ways.

In his book Scary Smart, former Chief Business Officer of Google Mo Gawdat encourages us to continue engaging and investing in AI so we can reprogram it for good things. He warns that it’s up to us if we don’t want to go to war with the machines. There’s that word again... Machines.

I’m not anti-technology. But I also refuse to believe progress is always good. Especially if the new offering requires me to spend more time or be more dependent on the artificial than God.

Neil Postman made this astute comment forty years ago in his classic work, Amusing Ourselves to Death:

I have a friend who wholeheartedly embraces the ongoing advances in artificial intelligence. When I asked her why, she shared her belief that Christians have always been slow to embrace new technology and opportunities. She doesn’t want to make the same mistake when it comes to AI.

In September 2023, a church in Texas held a service written entirely by artificial intelligence. The Austin church described the experiment this way: “This Sunday, we’re entering somewhat uncharted territory by letting ChatGPT create the order of worship, prayers, sermon, liturgy, and even an original song for our 10 a.m. service.”

I’ve been in countless conversations with those in business and ministry about the issues of the real and the artificial that I’m raising here. Honestly, it makes most people uncomfortable.

We’re in the process of looking at Five Lies of the Artificial. The first lie is that the artificial is real. (If you missed that reading, you can find it here: The Artificial Isn’t Real).

“The Machine” is how many have come to define the rise of the artificial. It doesn’t simply refer to technology in a generic way, but to the overall system that is undergirding and infiltrating every aspect of life.

Next time you’re at a restaurant, lift your eyes from your own phone for a second and look around. Practically everyone—whether with a family, on a date, or with friends— is staring at their screen. Even when people are together, they find what’s on the screen more fascinating than who’s sitting across from them.

Where is the pull for instant answers most enticing in your life?

We’ll never find our way to the real through the artificial. The artificial is what’s in the way of the real.

When we’re talking about technology, it’s good to note if you find yourself quick to defend all the recent advances or benefits that AI brings. Or if you automatically want to dismiss anything about detaching from technology as irrelevant because it will only continue to accelerate. I understand the pull to do so. At the same time, I’d simply ask you to push through and stay with it. Along the way, remain curious about what your resistance may be rooted in. Don’t worry, the artificial won’t take it personally because, well, it isn’t a person.

The emergence of the new generations of AI will challenge our concept of reality in unprecedented ways we can’t fully fathom.

Our world is moving more virtual every day. We spend more time staring at screens than interacting with real people . . . or real life. Many reading this will even challenge what real means anymore. That’s how comfortable we’ve come to be with the artificial. It reflects our Partificial Daze

Ancient wisdom that’s proven true for centuries somehow suddenly seems irrelevant for our lives today. This assumption is rooted in an odd mix of arrogance and ignorance.

Most of us have little understanding of how our fascination with screens is changing us. We have trouble focusing on anything for more than a few seconds. We know a little about everything but no longer have the patience or desire to think or reason. And why should we? There’s an app to do that for us. Or we can ask ChatGPT to evaluate our options.

It’s an odd phenomenon. The less real something is, the more we tend to trust its version of reality.

What ground has the artificial gained in your life recently? It’s an important question to consider.