I couldn't agree more, Griffin. When I hear about someone using AI for academic or creative pursuits, I think about that children's book "The Magic Thread" where the little boy pulls the thread any time he wants to jump ahead in life and get to the exciting parts. He essentially misses his entire life and then gets to the end and wishes he had never pulled the stupid thread since he was barely living his one, irreversible existence. If it could clean my toilets for me I guess I would be tempted, but reading the books and analyzing the summaries and creating the art is the whole point of living. Why would we try to shortcut existence? I think you are right that it is sad more than sinful, but I have such a kneejerk antipathy to it as a writing teacher. That stupefying, numbing, minimizing effect on a human brain is what feels so malevolent. Really good thoughts!
One thought that came to mind whilst reading this is ChatGPT/AI may (and I stress only 'may') help us to do more stuff, but will it help us become more human, more who we have made to be as thinking, creative, relational beings, or will ChatGPT displace these human attributes in us and erode our capacities to pick them up again once the machine is taken away? I think the answer is clear from what you have written.
Sacrificing what makes us human is not something I am willing to do, even if I am able to do more/be more productive. Humanity trumps productivity any day. It is a pity our politicians don't think so.
totally agreed. It's hard to wrap my mind around a cost-benefit analysis that yields in favor of using GenAI in all areas of life for the sake of efficiency. Thanks for reading Hadden!
“Another one of Gloo’s taglines: “Spend less time on tasks, more time on ministry.” Its subtitle says that if you allow your employees to use Gloo, they’ll have more free time to grow your church.”
Like this exposes something too. What are we defining as ministry? Because if our research takes so much time that we can’t do it simply, or have the capacity to type our own email (still mind-boggles me that people would do that) then maybe it’s a sign our ministry isn’t that relational, and we’re focusing on the wrong things.
Taking into consideration of yes there are projects that temporarily demand our attention (this is the exception) , but the rule should be balance with an emphasis on relationships, or we don’t really have a ministry.
All to say this is an incredible essay, and ChatGPT will not be conducting my emails.
Crouch is so gracious and thoughtful—fully present, kind, engaged—a whole person displaying the fruit of disciplined formation. And don’t we all wish to be somewhat like him and Berry and Lewis and Tolkien, etc (while also being fully ourselves as we uniquely image the Lord)? The sad part of all this is that money and attention seem to flow to the places where content creation is as constant as a fire hose. As for myself (raising kids; now working as a freelance writer and editor; caring for our home and often for an aging parent) I don’t have the time to create like that. And so: I don’t! But I imagine that pressure to constantly put stuff out there becomes part of the temptation for many. Use AI to create content so that your “name” may get out there and your content finally become monetized! Better than hanging out in front of the computer tapping away all day! As with most (all?) temptation, its offer is completely empty. The fruit bound up in the learning and creating PROCESS—not in the outcomes “more product/more money” (etc).
Thankful for your humor (and footnote) filled writing, Griffin.
Oh wow that's so cool I'll have to listen!! Andy Crouch has inspired so much of my relationship to tech.
And I can definitely relate to that pressure as well. I try to put out an article every other week, but I've lost several paid subscribers who said they're unsubscribing because I don't post enough. Which makes me sad, but there's nothing I can really do about it. This is just the pace I work at. So I fully affirm where you're coming from! Thanks for reading Kelsey!
That's wild that their reason is not posting enough. Your posts are more substantial than most who post weekly. They are always well worth the wait and some of my favorite reads.
Such a good read!! I once had a friend shift my perspective, “it’s not about asking what is allowed, but what is best.” I foresee self-control being more and more crucial (although it always has been)— so much is accessible but it will be up to us to use the tools appropriately. As a Church I wonder how we will be able to define the boundaries with AI; for me, reading pieces like this is a good start.
On another note, I would love to read more about God’s cultural mandate…!! have you written anything else on this/ what do you recommend?
Thanks for writing this and all the work you put in to well-researched work (4-5 books is WOW!!)
Thanks so Marisa!! That's such good advice honestly - for navigating faith and just life in general.
Oooo as for the cultural mandate stuff, I'm not 100% sure! I had a class that touched on it a ton during my masters. I think Andy Crouch's Culture-Making is pretty good and practical though! I'll let you know if I think of anything else!
AI is no substitute for listening to the Holy Spirit. When you wrote about serendipitous learning, it reminded me of all the times the Holy Spirit would give me an epiphany about God while I was reading a wide variety of topics. He would bring them all together in a way that nothing artificial ever could. Thanks for covering this topic, Griffin.
It’s so frustrating having conversations with friends about normal everyday things and having it turn into AI…”great cookies!” “Thanks the recipe was AI” you couldn’t find a recipe online??? “It’s so important to be not shove your feelings deep down, I’ve been there” “that’s why I vent to ChatGPT” like how do I think charitably and thoughtfully about these decisions when I do think in the very least it degrades their ability to do things without the help of ChatGPT even if it’s not necessarily a moral issue? I’m shocked by how many of my friends use it on a regular basis. For what?! This really puts it into words.
My church VBS used ChatGPT to make a few cartoon drawings of leaders for the week. And I couldn’t draw anything better, and I don’t think we have anyone at church who could…but man it weirds me out to hear them talk about how ChatGPT helped them get VBS set up. Was it necessary? I don’t think so.
oooof these are excellent reflections. It's something I'm trying to navigate as well. It's easy to be self-righteous about it and have a moral high ground about AI, but obviously that doesn't go over well for changing minds lol.
This was a really grounded, helpful reframing—especially the shift away from a “sin/not sin” binary and toward a question of formation. That lens feels both more theologically faithful and more honest about the slow, cumulative effects of our tools on our character and intellect.
Can you tell I had ChatGPT write this?
Your point about serendipitous learning really stuck with me. I hadn’t quite put words to it, but that’s exactly what I miss when I shortcut the research process. There’s a quiet kind of humility built into deep reading and sifting—something I know I need more of, not less.
I think you can bc it sux!!!!
Thanks for offering a measured, careful take that doesn’t veer into either panic or passive acceptance. It's rare, and really appreciated.
Starting the piece with “I love footnotes” with a footnote cracks me up! Sorry I don’t have anything intelligent to add to the conversation, but I will be laughing about the whimsy of this first sentence all day!
Okay that is actually a great question. I didn't even consider that until I saw this comment. I suppose I'll have to actually ask a German-speaking friend to verify the resource! It was especially hard to find because the resource was never translated into English, but I think you're right that I should double-check! Thanks for reading Taylor!
AI has totally transformed what i can do as a language teacher, i have to teach english online to stay in euorpe as a missionary. and i can craft personalized lessons in under 15 minutes now, what would have taken hours before so i didnt do it and used the subpar resources given by the language school i work for.
this being said i can imagine it being intrinsically sinful to use due to the nature of what it is. you didnt really dig into this in your analysis here. perhaps ill come up with a rebuttal when i get the resolve to return to my language schools horrible resources: "why chatgpt is intrinsically evil but is definitely useful and sort of cool."
As a GenXer, I have concluded that Chatgpt is our modern Tower of Babel. It places humans at the center as they chase an illusion of power (in relation to knowlege). Remember, God wasn't distressed that they built something. He was distressed that their motives would lead them into idolatry.
Idolatry is simply a lazy form of worship focused on the wrong thing.
When I use Chatgpt, I use it for stuff that I already have a basic, intermediate or advanced understanding. This means I have already read about the subject. I limit it as a research tool by checking it's sources. My first go-to are books.
What scares me is when people use it to make themselves look smart by just cutting and pasting which is still just the illusion of power.
I couldn't agree more, Griffin. When I hear about someone using AI for academic or creative pursuits, I think about that children's book "The Magic Thread" where the little boy pulls the thread any time he wants to jump ahead in life and get to the exciting parts. He essentially misses his entire life and then gets to the end and wishes he had never pulled the stupid thread since he was barely living his one, irreversible existence. If it could clean my toilets for me I guess I would be tempted, but reading the books and analyzing the summaries and creating the art is the whole point of living. Why would we try to shortcut existence? I think you are right that it is sad more than sinful, but I have such a kneejerk antipathy to it as a writing teacher. That stupefying, numbing, minimizing effect on a human brain is what feels so malevolent. Really good thoughts!
thanks so much Abigail!!
Brilliant Griffin.
One thought that came to mind whilst reading this is ChatGPT/AI may (and I stress only 'may') help us to do more stuff, but will it help us become more human, more who we have made to be as thinking, creative, relational beings, or will ChatGPT displace these human attributes in us and erode our capacities to pick them up again once the machine is taken away? I think the answer is clear from what you have written.
Sacrificing what makes us human is not something I am willing to do, even if I am able to do more/be more productive. Humanity trumps productivity any day. It is a pity our politicians don't think so.
totally agreed. It's hard to wrap my mind around a cost-benefit analysis that yields in favor of using GenAI in all areas of life for the sake of efficiency. Thanks for reading Hadden!
Yes and Amen. Humanity trumps productivity. This feels extremely important to my faith and theology.
This whole thing is so right on target!
“Another one of Gloo’s taglines: “Spend less time on tasks, more time on ministry.” Its subtitle says that if you allow your employees to use Gloo, they’ll have more free time to grow your church.”
Like this exposes something too. What are we defining as ministry? Because if our research takes so much time that we can’t do it simply, or have the capacity to type our own email (still mind-boggles me that people would do that) then maybe it’s a sign our ministry isn’t that relational, and we’re focusing on the wrong things.
Taking into consideration of yes there are projects that temporarily demand our attention (this is the exception) , but the rule should be balance with an emphasis on relationships, or we don’t really have a ministry.
All to say this is an incredible essay, and ChatGPT will not be conducting my emails.
Thanks so much Mallory! I totally agree with that assessment as well. Efficiency can't be more important than love.
I had the great joy of chatting with Andy Crouch about formation once upon a time when I had a podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/concurrently-the-news-coach-podcast/id1657703506?i=1000651993919).
Crouch is so gracious and thoughtful—fully present, kind, engaged—a whole person displaying the fruit of disciplined formation. And don’t we all wish to be somewhat like him and Berry and Lewis and Tolkien, etc (while also being fully ourselves as we uniquely image the Lord)? The sad part of all this is that money and attention seem to flow to the places where content creation is as constant as a fire hose. As for myself (raising kids; now working as a freelance writer and editor; caring for our home and often for an aging parent) I don’t have the time to create like that. And so: I don’t! But I imagine that pressure to constantly put stuff out there becomes part of the temptation for many. Use AI to create content so that your “name” may get out there and your content finally become monetized! Better than hanging out in front of the computer tapping away all day! As with most (all?) temptation, its offer is completely empty. The fruit bound up in the learning and creating PROCESS—not in the outcomes “more product/more money” (etc).
Thankful for your humor (and footnote) filled writing, Griffin.
Oh wow that's so cool I'll have to listen!! Andy Crouch has inspired so much of my relationship to tech.
And I can definitely relate to that pressure as well. I try to put out an article every other week, but I've lost several paid subscribers who said they're unsubscribing because I don't post enough. Which makes me sad, but there's nothing I can really do about it. This is just the pace I work at. So I fully affirm where you're coming from! Thanks for reading Kelsey!
That's wild that their reason is not posting enough. Your posts are more substantial than most who post weekly. They are always well worth the wait and some of my favorite reads.
Thanks so much for the kind words Dustin! I really appreciate the encouragement man!
Such a good read!! I once had a friend shift my perspective, “it’s not about asking what is allowed, but what is best.” I foresee self-control being more and more crucial (although it always has been)— so much is accessible but it will be up to us to use the tools appropriately. As a Church I wonder how we will be able to define the boundaries with AI; for me, reading pieces like this is a good start.
On another note, I would love to read more about God’s cultural mandate…!! have you written anything else on this/ what do you recommend?
Thanks for writing this and all the work you put in to well-researched work (4-5 books is WOW!!)
Thanks so Marisa!! That's such good advice honestly - for navigating faith and just life in general.
Oooo as for the cultural mandate stuff, I'm not 100% sure! I had a class that touched on it a ton during my masters. I think Andy Crouch's Culture-Making is pretty good and practical though! I'll let you know if I think of anything else!
AI is no substitute for listening to the Holy Spirit. When you wrote about serendipitous learning, it reminded me of all the times the Holy Spirit would give me an epiphany about God while I was reading a wide variety of topics. He would bring them all together in a way that nothing artificial ever could. Thanks for covering this topic, Griffin.
Thanks so much for reading Mary!!
It’s so frustrating having conversations with friends about normal everyday things and having it turn into AI…”great cookies!” “Thanks the recipe was AI” you couldn’t find a recipe online??? “It’s so important to be not shove your feelings deep down, I’ve been there” “that’s why I vent to ChatGPT” like how do I think charitably and thoughtfully about these decisions when I do think in the very least it degrades their ability to do things without the help of ChatGPT even if it’s not necessarily a moral issue? I’m shocked by how many of my friends use it on a regular basis. For what?! This really puts it into words.
My church VBS used ChatGPT to make a few cartoon drawings of leaders for the week. And I couldn’t draw anything better, and I don’t think we have anyone at church who could…but man it weirds me out to hear them talk about how ChatGPT helped them get VBS set up. Was it necessary? I don’t think so.
oooof these are excellent reflections. It's something I'm trying to navigate as well. It's easy to be self-righteous about it and have a moral high ground about AI, but obviously that doesn't go over well for changing minds lol.
Thanks for reading Amelia!!
Well said. Looking forward to your next piece on Destiny’s Child
hahaha you got it Sammy! Also, thanks for consistently interacting with almost every post I've ever done. Means a lot!!
This was a really grounded, helpful reframing—especially the shift away from a “sin/not sin” binary and toward a question of formation. That lens feels both more theologically faithful and more honest about the slow, cumulative effects of our tools on our character and intellect.
Can you tell I had ChatGPT write this?
Your point about serendipitous learning really stuck with me. I hadn’t quite put words to it, but that’s exactly what I miss when I shortcut the research process. There’s a quiet kind of humility built into deep reading and sifting—something I know I need more of, not less.
I think you can bc it sux!!!!
Thanks for offering a measured, careful take that doesn’t veer into either panic or passive acceptance. It's rare, and really appreciated.
hahhahaa okay that got me on the first bit. It sounded way too formal.
Thanks so much Jenna!!
Starting the piece with “I love footnotes” with a footnote cracks me up! Sorry I don’t have anything intelligent to add to the conversation, but I will be laughing about the whimsy of this first sentence all day!
hahaha I'm glad you liked it!!
Great post! But how do you know the German translation was accurate?
Okay that is actually a great question. I didn't even consider that until I saw this comment. I suppose I'll have to actually ask a German-speaking friend to verify the resource! It was especially hard to find because the resource was never translated into English, but I think you're right that I should double-check! Thanks for reading Taylor!
AI has totally transformed what i can do as a language teacher, i have to teach english online to stay in euorpe as a missionary. and i can craft personalized lessons in under 15 minutes now, what would have taken hours before so i didnt do it and used the subpar resources given by the language school i work for.
this being said i can imagine it being intrinsically sinful to use due to the nature of what it is. you didnt really dig into this in your analysis here. perhaps ill come up with a rebuttal when i get the resolve to return to my language schools horrible resources: "why chatgpt is intrinsically evil but is definitely useful and sort of cool."
hahaha I look forward to it! That's a good point though and sounds like you're putting it to good use in a very practical way.
excellent work! Thanks, Griffin.
Thanks so much Emily!!
Excellent piece!
Thanks Julia!!
Excellent piece. Thank you for writing this.
Thanks for reading Laura!!
This is a good read.
As a GenXer, I have concluded that Chatgpt is our modern Tower of Babel. It places humans at the center as they chase an illusion of power (in relation to knowlege). Remember, God wasn't distressed that they built something. He was distressed that their motives would lead them into idolatry.
Idolatry is simply a lazy form of worship focused on the wrong thing.
When I use Chatgpt, I use it for stuff that I already have a basic, intermediate or advanced understanding. This means I have already read about the subject. I limit it as a research tool by checking it's sources. My first go-to are books.
What scares me is when people use it to make themselves look smart by just cutting and pasting which is still just the illusion of power.