As artificial intelligence and AI technology reshape our world at unprecedented speed, fundamental questions about human identity in the digital age have become urgent. What makes us uniquely human when AI machines can write, create content, and even simulate human relationships? How do we navigate truth and misinformation in an age of sophisticated digital deception and deepfakes? What is our human purpose and meaning when AI algorithms can perform many traditionally human tasks and jobs?
Join the Reverend Doyt L. Conn Jr. for a 12-part Bible study that explores these questions through Scripture. Each session will focus on a biblical story or passage, inviting us to consider how the ancient truths of the Bible speak to the challenges and hopes of our AI-shaped world.
The first session established the foundation by examining human identity through Genesis and Jesus’s great commandment, revealing three critical challenges AI poses to our understanding of humanity.
The Truth Crisis
AI’s capacity for sophisticated manipulation threatens our ability to discern reality. From China’s targeted disinformation campaigns affecting 40,000 Taiwanese citizens to convincing deepfakes of trusted figures, we face an unprecedented erosion of truth. One participant shared losing $7,000 to a perfectly replicated Facebook profile of a childhood friend promoting Bitcoin.
The biblical response begins with understanding our unique role as truth-seekers created in God’s image. Genesis describes humanity as the “crown of creation” with the distinctive capacity for authentic relationship with both God and others; something no algorithm can replicate.
The Agency Problem
At precisely the moment we need critical thinking most, AI encourages intellectual dependency. People struggle with basic spelling, math, and original writing when machines provide instant answers. While sometimes helpful (as one participant noted during COVID recovery), this dependency raises questions about human development and purpose.
Scripture presents humans as active participants in creation: naming animals, exercising dominion, stewarding resources. When we consistently delegate thinking to machines, we risk atrophying capacities central to our God-given identity.
Identity Confusion
New technologies blur the lines of human identity. Gene editing, transhumanism, and cyborgs create “completely new beings” that aren’t human but possess human-like capabilities. Simultaneously, new ways of understanding gender, neurodiversity, and other aspects of identity create uncertainty about what fundamentally constitutes humanity.
The biblical foundation provides stability: every human possesses a soul (nefesh) directly breathed by God; a dignity that exists independent of cognitive ability, physical capacity, or technological enhancement. Jesus’s great commandment reveals humanity’s fourfold nature: heart (our moral center), soul (our divine spark), strength (our embodied existence), and mind (our reasoning capacity). While machines might simulate aspects of mind and strength, they lack the metaphysical dimensions that define us.
Moving Forward
These challenges require intentional responses grounded in biblical wisdom. We are called to be grateful voices for all creation, careful stewards of our gifts, and beings who love God with our whole integrated selves. The Bible’s “oppositional defiant” character suggests we need not passively accept every technological development but can critically evaluate how emerging technologies align with human flourishing.
As we continue this 12-part journey, we’ll explore how ancient wisdom guides us through modern challenges, helping us maintain our humanity while wisely stewarding the powerful tools we create.