‘Something’s happened: we’ve taught silicon to think, and the implications of that will soon be upon us.’ This is the starting point of Stephen Driscoll’s examination of the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our way of life and what the Christian’s approach should be. The first and second chapters set AI in the context of previous technological revolutions and explain what it is and how it has developed. The core of the book devotes itself to establishing a Christian framework to respond to AI ‘through the lenses of creation, sin, the cross and the new creation’. The concluding chapter offers some thoughts on the wise use of AI. The author warns that AI, like other technologies, will bring a mixture of blessing and curse. The Christian’s response to AI should be neither nostalgia for the past nor fear for the future but instead a resilience based on trust in God who works all things for good.
Stephen Driscoll has written a thoughtful book that takes a thoroughly biblical approach. The Bible may not deal specifically with science or technology but it provides the basis for a proper understanding of the world that we live in and of how we can have a relationship with our Creator by trusting in the cross of Christ.
This excellent book is an enjoyable read, never too technical, and full of interesting and sometimes amusing examples and anecdotes. By the end of the book, you feel that the author has given you a really helpful insight into how to think biblically and Christianly, not just about AI, but about any new technology that may pose a challenge or a threat to society.