Smartphones anticipate our needs. Self-driving cars roam our streets. Large language algorithms are being used across every industry. Artificial intelligence has woven itself into the very fabric of our daily lives. AI isn’t a trend that will pass. It is here to stay and become an increasingly significant part of our lives at home, work, and play.
How should Christians think about the development of AI? We need not fear it or place our hope in it. It will serve us and fail us, like any technology. One way to think about this new tool is through the biblical storyline of creation, fall, and redemption.
AI and Creation
Let’s start with what we know for certain. In its best form, AI is a by-product of the creation mandate.
In Genesis 1:28 God commands Adam to “fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Subduing and having dominion do not imply exploitation or reckless control. Rather, our role is one of stewarding God’s creation in a way that reflects his character and purposes.
According to IBM, AI is “technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity, and autonomy.” God created us in his image, and now we are creating machines in our image. In the most favorable light, AI is taking dominion over data and putting it to use for the good of our neighbor.
When we develop technologies like AI, we actively participate in this divine work. As Jonathan Romig, Pastor at Cornerstone Congregational Church put it: “When God called us to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth, he was calling us to make good work. Work is a pre-fall mandate, which means work is inherently good, not a result of sin (John 5:17).”
When we work, we reflect the Creator, Sustainer, and Restorer of all things. God, through his common grace, enables all humanity to participate in exercising dominion over his creation. We shouldn’t be surprised when unbelievers develop helpful technologies that can further the common good.
There are several examples of God using non-believers to accomplish His work.
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- The King of Tyre provided materials and labor to help Solomon build the temple (1 Kings 5:1-12).
- He used Cyrus to issue a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4).
- God raised up Pharaoh to show His mercy and power and to proclaim His name in all the earth (Romans 9:14-18).
God is the one who “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). In his “Institutes of the Christian Religion” John Calvin writes, “Whenever we come upon these matters in secular writers, let that admirable light of truth shining in them teach us that the mind of man, though fallen and perverted from its wholeness, is nevertheless clothed and ornamented with God’s excellent gifts.”
AI and the Fall
Though God gives every human skill to participate in his creation, there is no neutral AI. When we engage with AI, we are not merely performing morally neutral tasks. Those who develop and apply AI have the opportunity to serve humanity by alleviating suffering and promoting human flourishing. When done with the intention of loving and serving others, such work transcends mere technical achievement and becomes a spiritual act of worship.
Unfortunately, the human heart is not naturally inclined to love God and serve others.
There are two stories in the Bible which serve both as warnings and as guides as we grapple with AI.
The first is the Tower of Babel from Genesis 11:1-9. After the Noahic Flood, humanity rebelled against God’s command to “fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1) and built a city with a tower “with its top in the heavens” to make a name for themselves. In response to their rebellion and idolatry, God confused their common language and as a result, the people ceased building the tower, and God scattered them across the earth.
The second story is Jacob’s ladder (Genesis 28:10-22). Jacob has a dream of this ladder that reaches from earth to heaven. Angels are ascending and descending on it, and the LORD stands above it. In the dream, God speaks to Jacob and reaffirms the covenant made with Jacob’s grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac, promising Jacob the land on which he is lying and numerous descendants who will spread across the earth.
The stories of the Tower of Babel and Jacob’s ladder present two contrasting narratives. One where humanity attempts to reach God and one where God reaches man.
In the account of the Tower of Babel we find humanity once again rebelling against God and attempting to usurp his authority and glory. The construction of the tower represents an early human technological project. They used bricks and tar for mortar, showcasing advancements in building techniques. The technology itself was not sinful, but the underlying motivation of pride and self-exaltation was.
The people sought to reach the divine realm through their own efforts. The tower represents our sinful desire to rebel against God and usurp his authority, even with technological prowess. It highlights the risks of using technology to overstep boundaries, driven by pride.
In contrast, Jacob’s ladder is a story of God reaching out to man. It is God who initiates and calls Jacob into relationship. God reaffirms the covenant made with Abraham and Isaac, promising Jacob land, numerous descendants, and divine protection. The ladder represents a grace initiated by God. Jacob has done nothing to deserve this grace.
Unlike the Tower of Babel, where humans attempt to reach heaven, God extends grace to Jacob without prompting. The ladder symbolizes God’s willingness to connect with humanity, providing guidance and blessings without human instigation.
The two stories collectively provide a profound commentary on the nature of technological and spiritual advancement. They illustrate the contrast between self-driven ambition to reach the divine through technological means and the transformative experience of God reaching out to us.
Our tools and technologies, including AI, are extensions of our God-given creativity and capacity for problem solving. They can be instruments for good when used to promote justice, heal brokenness, and enhance human flourishing.
As Justin Thacker, professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College, puts it, “Nowhere in Scripture is a tool or technology condemned for being evil. Scripture shows that technology and tools can be used for both good and evil. Even if a tool was designed for evil, the tool itself isn’t evil…While technology isn’t moral in itself, it does carry with it the effects of sin and brokenness.”
AI and Redemption
AI has the potential to improve our lives, protect us from harm, provide access to learning, and introduce new economic opportunities. It also has the potential for evil when it is in the wrong hands. What does it look like to redeem AI?
First, like any technology, AI must be a servant and not a master. While the dominion mandate gives us the authority to develop and use technologies like AI, it also comes with significant limitations. The dominion that humans exercise is not absolute but is derivative and accountable to God. We are not the ultimate rulers of creation. Christ is. Therefore, our development and use of AI must always be conducted in submission to His will.
Our stewardship of technology must be marked by humility, recognizing that ultimate dominion belongs to Christ. Tony Reinke articulates this balance well:
“There are idols at play, but the incredible generosity of the Creator is also at play in giving us a universe loaded with oil and gas, electricity, uranium, metals, plastics, silicon, computer chips, and the sixty natural elements that comprise our smartphones. All our innovations are owing to the incredible generosity of our Creator.”
Second, any progress we may experience through AI can’t compare to the glory found in Christ’s presence. In participating in God’s mission, we anticipate the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). Our efforts, though imperfect, contribute to a foretaste of the kingdom that is to come. By stewarding creation wisely, we testify to the transformative power of the gospel and invite others to experience the redemption that is found in Christ.
For the believer, the existence of AI cannot separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). In his life, death, and resurrection, Christ inaugurated a new creation, one that will be fully realized when he returns to make all things new (Revelation 21:5). In this restored universe, the curse of sin will be removed (Revelation 22:3), and creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption (Romans 8:21).
Our labors, which are now subject to futility, will find their true purpose and fulfillment. We will reign with Christ (2 Timothy 2:12), participating in his dominion in a way that reflects his righteousness and wisdom. The technologies we create, including AI, are but shadows of the creative and redemptive work that Christ is accomplishing. Although limited and often misused, they serve as signposts to the greater reality of God’s ultimate plan to renew all things.
Third, we honor Christ by using technology to serve others rather than ourselves. As Paul reminds us, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). We model our Savior to the world by using tools like AI to find ways to better the lives of others and not just our own.
We don’t fully know the many ways in which AI will improve and interfere with our lives. However, we do know that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Restorer of the material world. We can use AI with gratitude while being mindful of its limitations. Our hope for the future is not in AI but in the One who is sovereign over all things.
Micah Gaudet is a member of Hope Community Church (PCA) in Queen Creek, Arizona, where he works in the public sector applying artificial intelligence. Jason Ogden serves in the public sector in central Oregon.