Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Kings 10:1-10; Mark 7:14-23)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is astounding people today much
like the personal computer did forty years.
Ask it any question – “How do I bake apples?” “Why do Chinese have
trouble pronouncing the letter ‘r’?” How
does Kant’s philosophy compare with Aquinas’? – and it responds with a
plausible answer in a second. AI can
write a letter for you, balance your checkbook, tutor you in a foreign
language, and incredibly more. There is no more exaggeration here than in the
first reading’s statement: “… there remained nothing hidden from (King Solomon)
that he could not explain to (the queen of Sheba.).
Solomon is famous for his wisdom. He not only knew many things but, more
importantly, understood how things can work for the improvement of his subjects.
Despite these blessings, Solomon died in a troubled state. His many wives had twisted his heart away
from the God of Israel. His sons, Jeroboam
and Rehoboam, were ready to divide his kingdom.
In working with AI, we might take advantage of Solomon’s
legacy. The help AI provides is enormous. But some will submit its products as their
own creations. Another problem is AI’s
tendency to “hallucinate”; that is, to extrapolate from its base new information
that is not accurate. If we use AI to deceive others, then it is not helpful
but harmful. In these cases, it is twisting
us away from God, who is truth.
