The New York Times reported this week that Geoffrey Hinton quit his job at Google. What’s the big deal? He’s considered “the godfather of artificial intelligence.”
The Times writes: “Industry leaders believe the new A.I. systems could be as important as the introduction of the web browser in the early 1990s…
“But gnawing at many industry insiders is a fear that they are releasing something dangerous into the wild.”
Dr. Hinton adds: “It’s hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things.” He quit his job “so he can freely speak out about the risks of A.I. A part of him…now regrets his life’s work.”
“Brave New World” was published in 1932. Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel portrays what the author thought might be the future of Western civilization. Like H.G. Wells, George Orwell, and others, they got some things right and some things wrong. But they never could have imagined the haste with which the underpinnings of our society would collapse.
Long before dystopian novels, God wrote His own account of humanity’s future. Its foundations lay at the Tower of Babel (Gk, Babylon). There the people of the world, Davos-like, decided to band together, be their own gods, and establish a one-world government/religion.
Their collaboration was so successful that a conversation was held in heaven. “The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’” (Gen 11:6-7)
This confusing of languages limited the information any people group had, and therefore curtailed the damage they could do with it! But now, with computers, the internet, and artificial intelligence, again there seem to be no limits.
Scientism is becoming the religion of the masses. Science, they say, can answer all our questions and solve all our problems. Even if that were true—and it’s not—here’s the issue. Science tells us what we CAN do, not what we SHOULD do. And while science hurtles into the unknown, politicians hardly know the questions, let alone the answers.
Recently I mentioned to a friend a product I thought of buying. Immediately an ad for that product popped up on my phone. Hmm. China is already using face recognition software and a point system to control the masses. We have no idea what’s coming.
Oh wait! Yes, we do!
CHRIST is coming for those who by faith place their trust in Him: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (Jn 14:3)
THE END of the world as we know it is coming: “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father.” (1 Cor 15:24) One of these days, God will say, “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s closing time.” And once again, Babylon will meet its doom (Rev 18:10).
A NEW WORLD is coming, too: “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:7) It’s not Brave New World. It’s the Saved New World. I can hardly wait!
Article by Jabe Nicholson first published in the Commercial Dispatch, Saturday, May 06, 2023.