Over the last 2-3 years we have seen the emergence of Large Language Models (LLM) capable of generating text given access to input information. Agentic AI is on the rise automating a wide range of human/machine interactions. In this article I want to address some interactions which historically have been human-to-human but are beginning to become more autonomous machine-to-human interactions. I wonder whether all these applications are justified, helpful or appropriate – and whether we are living up to Jesus’ challenge of loving our neighbour as ourselves when we embrace them
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The purpose of this paper is to consider what degree we should allow technology to mediate the moments that matter in our lives. I am concerned that unthinking adoption risks stripping away aspects of our humanity and may reduce the affected relationships to something less than they were meant to be.
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The Australian Glen Scrivener opens; “Goldfish don’t see water. Goldfish see what’s in the water, they see what’s refracted through the water, but I assume (yes, assume – I haven’t done the proper investigations) that goldfish don’t see the water itself. And yet there it is. It’s their environment. Universal but invisible. It shapes everything they do and everything they see. But they don’t see it” .
His argument is simple – the same stands for us. As Westerners, we take many of the founding principles of our society for granted. We live in a peculiar culture – utterly different to the classical world of ancient times, different to undemocratic nations, different to theocracies as well. Why? Because our cultural norms are founded on distinctly Christian values.
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ChatGPT has been creating quite the buzz ever since its launch in November 2022. Until recently, the massive developments in the world of AI were hidden under the cover of academic institutions or digital frontends of AI powered apps. With the advent of generative AI powered tools like mid journey for image generation or ChatGPT for text generation, the developments in this field have been exposed to the public. The newfound ability of the public to interact with these models using text prompts has dazzled them into an unprecedented realization just how far the field has progressed.
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In this article, I explore the impact of Fourth Industrial Revolution technology on our relationships – with one another, those we love and with God
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The Robot Will See You Now offers arresting insights into the role of AI in areas such as health care, employment, security, the arts and intimate relationships, and delves deep into cultural and theological issues. With experts considering how AI is perceived - and its impact on how we interact with one another - this enthralling book will benefit Christians who want to understand and prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead.
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As the Fourth Industrial Revolution ushers into a new era of artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality, how should we respond to the societal and ethical dilemmas associated with this new age of transformative scientific power? This research highlights the need for an ethical and globally shared view on how technology affects the economic, social, cultural and spiritual aspects of daily life. An international team have compiled this book, outlining consequences of the Fourth Industrial Revolution across a broad range of issues covering business and work life, for leadership, for media and communication, for churches and for personal and family life.
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Andy Crouch’s “The Tech-Wise Family” was a major inspiration for the family’s section of the TechHuman initiative. We were most interested to see what Amy Crouch (Andy’s daughter) was going to say about her experiences growing up in a ‘Tech-Wise Family’.
Andy began the book by inviting us to “take hold of the life that is truly life”. To do that: to celebrate, to feast, to love then this is invariably best done in community, in relationship with other living human beings. It is only there that we can fully celebrate our triumphs, completely share in our sorrows, and find true encouragement from one another. It is in community and in family that we can be loved, accepted, and known. Digital technology offers a semblance of ‘comfort’ and ‘connection’ on a very grand scale; yet the reality it turns out to be a pale shadow of the real thing.
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Esther Meek suggests that our first knowledge as human beings is the knowledge of being loved – in the wombs, at the breast, in the embraces of our mothers. This first knowledge, she suggests, is paradigmatic for all of our knowing. To know follows being known; being known is woven into being loved…this can shape our whole epistemology as scholars – shaping our understanding of knowing as a human being in all of life.
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The failure of the public examinations grade awards across the UK in 2020 offers a compelling case-study in the risks of large-scale public application of algorithms to decision-making (or recommendation). I believe this demonstrates clearly the need for robust, independent review and certification of algorithms prior to live use – with focus on the impact of recommendations/decisions on individuals who are the subjects of these tools.
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“You don’t have to know everything about every app and device to mentor your children. But you do need to be in the conversation. If you’re not a part of their world, you can’t influence their world.”
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#Quaranscreened during Covid-19
Parenting during this time of social isolation at home has particular challenges. We are trying to juggle childcare, work, household chores and emotional roller coasters. Three cheers for technology to help us survive this time! And yet we know that the same screens that can be a beautiful lifeline – a way to work, learn, connect with others, get news updates and much needed comedy breaks – can accidently cause unintended side effects.
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Catherine Steiner-Adair is trying to help families turn technology into an ally for closeness, creativity and community. This takes some clear thinking and commitment. “But it [our society] is halfway towards forgetting that children need childhood. Those who insist on remembering shall perform a noble service.” *
The Author recommends that parents ask themselves, “What values do I want my children to end up with as adults, and am I living the lifestyle and teaching the lessons that embody these values?”
On February 17 2020, BBC Panorama Program explored the rise of Amazon and their strategy for growth, driven in part by ‘obsessive data gathering’. This is a powerful example of Surveillance Capitalism, and Shoshana Zuboff, Roger McNamee and Meredith Whittaker all appear on this informative and disturbing documentary.
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Adam Alter is a psychologist and writer, currently based at New York University’s Stern School of Business. His academic research focuses on social psychology, judgment and decision-making, with an interest in the effects that subtle cues in the environment can have on human cognition and behaviour.
‘Irresistible’ is broken into three sections:
1. what is ‘behavioural addiction’?
2. ingredients of behavioural addiction; and
3. some possible solutions.
Coming soon
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Children and young people in the UK are growing up in a world which is radically different than any previous generation. They have easy access to ‘always-on’ nearly pervasive technology that they can carry around with them. They use technology at school, at home and in their social lives. We see toddlers confidently operating tablets and smartphones.
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We very much like the work of START in the USA. START is a grassroots, community organisation which was started in Kansas City, by Krista Boan and Tracy Foster. They have been running workshops for over a year now, and have reached over 3000 people with their practical message of hope for the parents (and grandparents) of digital natives.
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If you want to understand why so many smartphone applications seem to be ‘addictive’ – this book explains, with devastating simplicity how it is done. Nir Eyal graduated from Stanford University Business School. Eyal researched what was happening empirically and from that he identified a core pattern that seemed to underpin all ‘successful’ solutions of this type, which he described and called the ‘Hook Model’
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