PEOPLE ARE MESSY

If I were to dwell on it, I would find the explosion of AI terrifying. For years, science fiction has grappled with the problems of an intelligence greater than our own but disassociated from moral codes and the human imperfections that give us empathy and compassion. Yet more and more people turn their decision-making processes over to something that cannot account for emotions like love or shame or inspiration, one choice at a time. It’s frightening.

That absence of soul repels me and sends me skittering away from the glittering promises of artificial intelligence. A soul, even an imperfect, battered, disheveled one, is to be preferred and trusted over the shiny, machined persona contained in Alexa or any other manufactured presence. People are messy. Creativity is messy. If we try to standardize, sanitize, and facilitate the process too much, we risk losing the essence of ourselves and our work.

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. (Psalm 115:4–8)”

Although written over 2600 years ago, this warning sounds eerily similar to the easy route of

advancing technology. Do we really want to make an idol of robots and risk becoming like them, losing our humanity and our ability to empathize and think creatively that link us most closely to God?

I am optimistic that people will realize they need the genuine human interaction only found with other genuine humans and their work. They’ll eschew the bland efforts of fake creativity and its soulless void. Maybe I’m foolish, but deep down I believe authentic interactions and creativity will eventually win over mass-produced AI-generated drivel. Probably because I firmly believe in the divine spark within each of us, I also believe our souls’ cravings for real nourishment and depth will lead us away from mechanized, synthesized false art, back to the deep expressions of the human soul. Eventually.