Christian apologist and Oxford mathematician, John Lennox, has warned of the possible danger of AI technology getting used to create a totalitarian society.
Lennox was chatting with The Same Commission podcast by Echoes International, following the republishing of his book, 2084 and the AI Revolution: How Artificial Intelligence Informs our Future.
He said, “Christians really must be informed about AI, because this isn’t any innocent little thing that can sit on the periphery of our experience. It’s going to influence almost all the pieces. And we’d like to prepare.”
Lennox noted that one in all the true dangers posed by AI is that it may well be utilized by governments to spy by itself residents, potentially making the work of spreading the Gospel tougher.
“If we predict of AI and mission, particularly working in closed or sensitive countries, the key danger I see is that it enormously facilitates totalitarian government,” he said.
“At the moment, we smile about it a bit and we’re pleased to make use of it since it’s so useful. But there may come a day, and that’s not long in the long run, before the entire atmosphere of the world changes.”
Much just like the printing press, radio and the web, world changing technologies have the facility to do each great good and great harm depending on how they’re wielded, and there was much speculation about what impact AI can have on Christianity and society generally.
Despite his concerns concerning the latest technology, Lennox reflected that the uncertainty created by AI had reminded him again that hope can all the time be present in Christ and the promise of God’s kingdom.
“What AI has done for me is to bring me back to consideration of something that’s at the guts of the Gospel – the promise of Messiah to return and reign,” he said.
“He hasn’t done it yet, but He will – and to extend people’s hope in days where alarmist views of AI, which could also be partially justified, are filling people’s minds.”
 Christian apologist and Oxford mathematician, John Lennox, has warned of the possible danger of AI technology getting used to create a totalitarian society. ...){kind=link}