What is the purpose of artificial intelligence?

I have to admit that I do not understand artificial intelligence (AI). I do not understand why people are spending billions of dollars building huge data centers for it. What are we hoping to achieve? What are we trying to make? Are we trying to create a super-smart intelligence that is not human? Kevin Warsh, the Federal Reserve Chairman, has called AI the biggest and most important change of his lifetime. He believes AI will help the world produce more goods and services than ever before. But he also warns that getting there will not be easy. He says the road ahead “will be bumpy.” Other people who seem to know a lot about AI are worried, and some are even frightened. Bill Gates warns that AI could lead to more cyberattacks, fake videos and images, and scams. In an interview last May, Gates said that if AI is not kept under control, it could cause the deaths of a billion people around the world. In April, Elon Musk told a federal jury that AI could destroy the human race. So what good things could AI bring? What bad things could happen? What dangers might we face?

I feel more comfortable with a different kind of AI. I call it “Authentic Intelligence,” which means real intelligence based on truth. It seems that we are living in a time when it is hard to know what is true. We often cannot tell what is real and what is made up. People used to say, “Seeing is believing.” In other words, if you could see something with your own eyes, you could trust it. But that is no longer always true. Photos, pictures and videos can now be changed or made completely from scratch. Artificial intelligence makes this happen even more often. Today, anyone can use a smartphone to change pictures or create new ones.

Instead of spending billions of dollars on data centers and artificial intelligence, what if we spent those billions on helping young people get a good education? What if everyone could afford to go to school and learn? What if we worked to teach young people today, and those who come after them, how to tell the difference between truth, imagination and made-up stories? “Authentic Intelligence” must be built on what is true. When Pontius Pilate questioned Jesus, he asked a question that all of us need to ask: “What is truth?”

There is another kind of “AI” that I believe is even better. I call it “Authentic Integrity.” This means being truly honest and doing what is right. It is the kind of life that Jesus taught people to live. Do not pretend to be good when you are not. Do not think only about yourself. Do not lie, trick people or become greedy. Instead, be honest, tell the truth, treat people kindly and share with others. Could we raise a generation of people who really care about living with “authentic integrity”? What if our government leaders, business leaders and people in charge of the economy lived this way? No matter what happens with artificial intelligence or any other problem, we can choose to practice Authentic Integrity. Being a good person does not depend on how much money you make or how smart you are. Anyone can choose to live a good life. And that choice begins with you and me.

Peter wrote that we should work hard to grow in goodness. He said that along with our faith, we should develop good character. Along with good character, we should grow in knowledge. Along with knowledge, we should learn to control ourselves. Along with self-control, we should learn to keep going even when life is difficult. Along with that patience and determination, we should grow closer to God and live in a way that pleases him. We should also show kindness to other believers and, above all, love. Peter explained that if we have these good qualities and keep growing in them, our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ will help us live useful lives that produce good results (2 Peter 1:5-8).