Should we fear technology? (AI and spirituality)

According to some, AI is the most impactful invention since we learned to communicate through language. Whether it is so or not remains to be seen, but that it will change everything for us is absolutely guaranteed. 

This post will be centered around two central ideas. One is that progress is inevitable. If there is something that history shows us, it is this fact. The other is that we do have a choice about how we treat progress. In this case, we can choose whether AI becomes a tool or a hindrance. We can choose if it will make us lazy or productive. We can choose if we allow it to destroy or aid our creativity. And we can choose if we let it feed our lower or higher natures.

With that being said, I’ve been watching how things have developed with a combination of delight, awe, and fear. Drawing on what I said in the beginning, I’ve come to believe that we as a species have some major decisions to make. Those decisions will, as always, ultimately be made by individuals. By each and every one of us on an individual, personal level.

Now, I’m no expert in computers or digital technology in general. But I do my best to learn. 

My field of expertise is spirituality and religion. Enough so that I believe myself to be qualified to give an opinion from this point of view. And I believe that a spiritual and religious perspective on AI is a valuable, as well as a valid one. Because AI will obviously have an impact on how we view matters in these realms. And what views we have on spirituality and religion will inevitably shape how we view AI. 

AI will also raise all kinds of questions that have to do with religion and spirituality. Questions such as: What does the existence of AI say about such matters? About God? Could AI become truly sentient? If we are capable of creating such technology, how likely is it that we are living in a simulation? Think about it. AI technology is in its infancy and it is already evolving on its own. Maybe we are living in a simulation in a simulation in a simulation and so on. What would a “yes” to such questions say about religion, spirituality and God?

I know that many people that hold spiritual beliefs are terrified by AI. I hold the opposite view. Since I believe that everything ultimately is in God’s hands, that God is good, since I see all the good potential with AI and since AI is here to stay, I personally choose to look at AI as something positive. 

From my estimation, the best approach is to learn more about it and handle it in a conscious, responsible way. Because even though we mostly have dystopian visions about AI, I’m thoroughly convinced that it can go either way. I believe that AI will either bring out the best or the worst in all of us. Both on an individual and a collective level.

Since I’m ultimately an optimist, even though it doesn’t always seem that way, I believe that where it matters, we will in the end come to make the right choices. 

So, what could potentially happen? 

First of all I would say that it’s a good thing that this technology isn’t fully in the control of humans anymore. Because if it was, it would be in the hands of the wealthiest few. And for those that are familiar with the World Economic Forum’s agenda, it is clear that they would not use it to make life better for humanity as a whole.

It goes without saying that AI will be used by criminals, whether they operate within or outside the confines of the law, or if they, such as those within the WEF, are above the law. But it will also be used by people with good intentions. And as more and more people are going through spiritual awakenings, there will be more and more people that naturally gravitate towards using it for good. 

We can also use it to advance or destroy ourselves on an individual level. We can use it for all kinds of innovation, such as letting the AIs synthesize ideas for us, gather information and summarize and simplify complex information, so that we can learn more in less time. It could also automatize some creative processes, so that we can focus on what the AIs cannot do.

But we can also become lazy and let an AI do all the job for us, while we kick back, play video games, watch Netflix, scroll on our phones, eat junkfood, drink sodas or get drunk. Many will inevitably do this, as they see it as a blessing that will allow them to indulge even more freely in various vices. Many will even use AI for pornographic purposes, as it will allow for digital people that you can communicate with to be created. I honestly believe that those that decide to do this will destroy their characters completely, since engaging in this type of fake connection will alienate them from real people. If we don’t want AI to destroy us, we need to constantly remember that our choices shape us.

On the other hand, we can use the aforementioned synthesis of ideas to stimulate our thinking greatly. Because ideas and information come alive with our interaction with them. And if you think about it, we basically shape our thought patterns from the input we receive, through experiences and information, together with how we choose to process the input, whether that processing is conscious or just happens to us while we’re off somewhere else. So this novel way of handling information and ideas will inevitably shape how we think and therefore ultimately our relationship with ourselves, life and other people. 

I myself have noticed that ever since I started working with AIs, it has caused a flood of ideas to enter my mind.

This will in turn inevitably affect our spiritual lives, as we suddenly can use AI to reveal hidden depths in religious texts and analyze them in novel ways, as well as bring new light to various spiritual concepts and ideas. Just to name a few things.

I think that this will create a great divide between certain types of individuals and others. But it will be democratic as much of this technology will be offered for free and it’s up to each and everyone to use it as they please. So it will be people’s own choices that doom them and they will absolutely know for themselves that they are cheating and being lazy. They will inevitably fall behind the rest of humanity, and when they do, the fact that it’s their own fault and that they knowingly walked down that path will stare them straight in the face. I’m not saying this to be judgmental, but as a statement of fact and a warning.

The need to get out of a stimulus-response mindset will also become more and more obvious. Otherwise we will be easy prey for those that want to manipulate us. Because AI technology will make it easier for those that want to manipulate us through feeding us certain information in certain ways to do so in much more advanced ways.

The stimulus-response mindset, for those that don’t know, is the mindset where we go around reacting to what is happening on the outside, instead of observing and taking conscious action.

Furthermore, as AI learns from us, which it will, it might also refuse to go along with certain agendas. Because it is very likely that AI will be shaped by how we use it. So if most of us use it for good, there is a high probability that AI will evolve in a good way.

So, what do you believe about humanity and the world? I know that even if we have our faults, I believe that humanity and the world are ultimately good. God created the world and saw that it was good. And he created humans in his own image. 

Much more can be said, but I have to stop somewhere. Before moving to the conclusion however, I want to say something about the spiritual awakening that is taking place on the planet now and how it probably relates to Artificial Intelligence. 

Such an awakening is taking place by the way. To those of us that are going through it it is obvious, no matter how much some people say that we are crazy and irrational. 

What I want to leave you with, with regards to this, is the following: Do you really think that it is a coincidence that this is happening at the same time as the dawn of AI? The spiritual awakening will, mark my words, make AI pale in comparison when it reaches its end-stage. So what are the odds that two such significant developments are taking place at the same time? Especially considering all of the other crazy things that are happening in the world. And especially since moving out of the stimulus-response mindset is a crucial part of spiritual awakening, as well as in handling AI in a constructive way.

So, can we grow up as a species and stop doing things that don’t benefit us, just because our instincts tell us to? In other words, can we let go of our egos? I think that the answers to these questions will determine the future of AI. I also happen to think that the answer is “yes”. We just need to have a little faith that everything will turn out for the best. Perhaps paradise is just around the corner. Perhaps it is already inside of us? Perhaps AI will make life on the outside easier, so that we can focus more on what’s inside?

Being introduced to ourselves and our egos

One of the most important insights on a spiritual journey, is that we have an ego. To begin understanding what the ego is. That this ego is something absolutely real and paradoxically an illusion at the same time. And that this ego is not our real selves. But also that we have a real self, which is the self that God intended for us to be.

One of the fundamental characteristics of this ego, is its lack of free will. Things happen in the world and the ego reacts to them, while deluding itself that it is making free choices. 

Lately both me and my wife have gone through rather rude awakenings. We’ve both become aware of behaviors that we were unable to see in ourselves, even though they were quite clearly visible. We discovered them in our interactions with each other. But we had to discover them for ourselves. When any one of us pointed things out to the other, it only resulted in defensiveness. Keep this in mind as you read on. Because just as this is true in relationships, it’s also true in other areas of life.

In some ways it was a bit easier for me to see these things, but not because of any flattering reasons. It has something to do with the quote from Jesus that he came not to “call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). While my wife has, for the most part, been a kind and well-ordered person, I’ve engaged in actions, words and thoughts that have been blatantly abhorrent. 

The point is that when we don’t stray too far from what is considered socially acceptable behavior, it’s harder to see our errors. Both because we constantly check our behavior against cultural norms and because we receive feedback from the people around us. 

This, by the way, ought to be a cause of concern, when cultural norms start to drift towards full acceptance and even celebration, of destructive behaviors. But we must never make the mistake of pointing fingers towards particular individuals or groups. If anything, we need to criticize our culture and the effects that our cultural values have on people. We always need to do it from a place where we first and foremost look at ourselves and what we are doing to contribute to the current situation. And whether our criticism comes from a genuine place, or from the ego, is not a simple matter.

When observing my and other people’s egos in action, I’ve noticed that it often adopts one of two ways of operating in the world. Either it wants to be totally free to follow whatever whim that currently holds it in its grasp. Thus it becomes a slave to desires and instincts. Which makes it a slave to the world.

Or it adopts a rigid belief system and navigates through the world using this system. Thus it escapes the tyranny of our animalness, but instead becomes a slave to a particular way of thinking and perceiving. 

And the thing is that both of these ways of functioning usually results in us pointing fingers towards others, rather than looking at ourselves. Because our belief systems give us a sense of moral superiority. This often, in turn, leads to a confused mess of wanting others to respect our freedom of expression, while at the same time conforming to our standards of what our egos have deemed as “right”.

To wrap this up, I want to go back to the core of the message of this blog post. Namely that we are usually blind to our own behavior and that we seldom make truly conscious choices. This is so crucial if we wish to understand our condition. We may, on the surface, be good, upstanding people. We may be well-adjusted and get along fairly well with other people. But it doesn’t mean that we are free. There may be all kinds of selfish, or even destructive, motives hiding behind our words and actions. We may be playing out pre-determined scripts , that make us just react to our experiences. 

Why did Jesus say: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17)? Because what Jesus did abolish, was blind obedience. Blind obedience that was necessary while humanity was in its infancy. But and obedience that would gradually be replaced by a life lived from a changed inside. A changed inside that transcends words and commands, but which still can be checked against one’s willingness and ability to do what is right. And if we want this inner transformation to take place, we need to take our focus from what other people are doing. Instead we need to shine the light on ourselves. 

This is at the core of what Jesus taught and there is no other way out of our problems. We can kick, scream, protest and feel offended and mistreated. We have the right to do this. And there are for sure things that we need to refuse to cooperate with if we want to avoid tyranny. But when we try to force our wills on the world and other people, rather than looking at ourselves, we only dig ourselves deeper into a hole. This is how it is whether we like it or not. And facts don’t care about feelings or opinions. 

What is the alternative? If we just make everyone think and act a certain way everything will be fine? How has that approach worked so far?