ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAN DUMB DOWN. If I get a form letter, at times I will send a form letter back. And let AI compose it while adding a few personal touches. Because a real human might read it and appreciate that. But what happens when we have AI communicate to AI with very little human interaction at all?
A recent USC study found that after ChatGPT because available, writing styles became less diverse. Including in the more informal social media posts, local journalism, and more formal scientific journals. They had more similar sentence patterns and vocabulary choices. Even in our most informal communications—talking—they find more formulaic speech.
“People get used to this idealized, very predictable form of language,” the lead USC researcher said. “In order to have that sense of powerful, influential writing,” people start imitating AI.
Imitations of imitations
AI tries to imitate life—and so we call it artificial intelligence. Art also imitates life. Usually we don’t consider it a problem when life imitates art. Because then life becomes less artificial and more artistic, more creative. But what happens when life imitates artificial intelligence? It becomes an imitation of a mechanical imitation. And so life becomes more mechanical.
When I ask ChatGPT good questions, I usually get good answers. But if I rely on it for both questions and answers, I remove my heart and soul from the process.
Media analyst Alex Mahadevan agrees, saying AI content becomes “soulless” and “mediocre” too often. “There’s no art in it.” And I may add, no heart in it either. Whenever we don’t write from the heart, or speak from the heart, we lose heart-to-heart communication.
We may also lose our ability to hear God’s heart in His words. For the more we listen to machines and speak like machines, the more we become like machines. And the less His words become flesh.
PRAY WITH US about Artificial Intelligence can dumb down: Father God, we thank You for making us in Your image. For You made us like Jesus, who has “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). And You give believers the Holy Spirit “who searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). So what more can we ask, than for Him who searches all things and Him who knows all things?
But too often we turn aside to ask men first. And men too often ask AI first. And AI searches the things of men and gives us all kinds of men’s answers. Yet if men are getting more answers from AI, those answers become further removed from You. For You made us in Your image, and we made AI in our image. And too often AI makes us in its image. Instead, remind us to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. And then all these things will be added to us as we do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
ETG articles related to Artificial Intelligence can dumb down:
AI Tracking Christians to Harass and Persecute
AI Bill of Rights—Safeguard Against AI Tyranny?
Tiktok Spying Powers Also Found in Instagram & Meta
AI Reads Human Minds—Can It Be Used to Control Us?
BPN articles related to Artificial Intelligence can dumb down:
PayPal Can Confiscate $2,500 from Your Account
