The following quotes come from two of the smartest men in the world and one who is now the richest, both visionaries in technological innovation.

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” – Stephen Hawking

“With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon.” – Elon Musk

Both these predictions were made in 2014, over 10 years ago. Where do we find ourselves today, and what does the future look like from a Biblical Christian worldview perspective?

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Webster defines AI as, “The capability of computer systems or algorithms to imitate intelligent human behavior.”

The Hidden Costs of AI Development

There are, and will increasingly be, tremendous benefits from AI which will shortly permeate all aspects of society. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, GPT5, Gemini, Grok, and now technologies like Generative AI (GenAI) are advancing rapidly into automated document processing, cybersecurity, human resources, marketing, manufacturing, business operations, innovation, and cost management within the business community. Further, it offers benefits in weather prediction, drug trials, military applications, and overall improved decision-making.

However, there is a dark side of AI, one of which many of its most ardent supporters publicly have voiced concern.

“The future of AI is not about replacing humans, it’s about augmenting human capabilities …. AI has the potential to be more transformative than electricity or fire.” – Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google

“AI is likely to be either the best or worst thing to happen to humanity.” – Elon Musk

“The pace of progress in artificial intelligence is incredibly fast.” – Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

“Artificial Intelligence will evolve to become a superintelligence. We need to be mindful of how it’s developed and ensure that it aligns with humanity’s best interests.” – Bill Gates

“The future of AI is in our hands.” – Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

“We are entering a world where we will learn to coexist with AI, not as its masters, but as its collaborators.” – Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook

(1) Financial Costs of AI- Over the next few years, President Trump has identified 16 sites across the U.S. to build AI Data Centers, a huge capital investment estimated to be over $500 billion on an already stretched fiscal budget. Further, he just announced plans to build a “Golden Dome,” intended to protect the U.S. from outside attacks, similar to the Iron Dome which has served Israel so well. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the cost of this project to be $542 billion for only the “space-based” components. It will ultimately be tied into the data centers and managed by AI.

(2) Job Losses of AI – According to a recent article in Fortune magazine, it is currently estimated that AI will put “20 million jobs on the chopping block” in the next few years.

“AI will not replace humans, but those who use AI will replace those who don’t.” – Ginni Rometty, Former CEO of IBM

“AI is going to reshape every industry and every job.” – Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn

(3) Psychological Impact of AI – The term, “AI Anxiety” has been coined as fear due to the rapid development and its repercussions and human disconnect from other humans as these increasingly sophisticated Large Language Models (LLM’s such as ChatGPT) take over more and more interactions with mankind. However, the psychological impact of AI, as with the technology itself, is still in its infancy.

Will Mankind Successfully Control AI?

The short answer is no, from a Biblical Christian worldview perspective. Mankind, from Adam forward, has a sin nature ….

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

This sin nature can be seen by simply viewing the world around us. Further, it is a part of the behavior of both those who are born-again Christians and those who are not. The desire for achievement, as altruistic as it may appear at times … demonstrated by individuals, nations, and cultures, is largely driven by our sin nature of greed and pride. Artificial Intelligence will only exaggerate our human nature rather than protect us from ourselves.

The conundrum, or Catch-22, is that America is in a race for supremacy in the development of AI.

According to a recent Stanford University study, China, the UK, India, UAE, France, South Korea, Germany, Japan, and Singapore (in that order) are all investing billions of dollars in AI development. Any proposed regulatory controls (of which Trump is opposed to, anyway) that might be put on AI in order to consider its ethical implications would only serve to slow down American development and allow countries like China to advance past us.

The expansion of Artificial Intelligence is driving like a freight train into our future, and nothing short of God’s intervention is going to stop it.

Will AI Eventually Usurp God’s Creation (Mankind) and can we Unplug It?

The short answer is yes to the first question and no to the second. AI will (has already in some ways) exceed(ed) mankind’s intelligence, and we will not be able to halt its continuing advancement.

Consider the greatest inventions ever developed by man. According to History.com, in order of impact, the top eleven are the: (1) the printing press, (2) compass, (3) paper currency, (4) steel, (5) light bulb, (6) domestication of the house, (7) transistors, (8) magnifying lens, (9) telegraph, (10) antibiotics, and (11) steam engine. Now, if you research other lists, developments like the internet, the wheel, the cell phone, computers, and many other devices are at the top. However, as you reflect on all these life-altering inventions, consider that in every case these products have no value without physically interacting with man. In every case, they are dependent on us for their use and further development.

Artificial intelligence is the first “invention” of mankind which is intended to learn and develop without interacting with man.

That is incredibly significant but just touches the surface of our loss of control over AI. Consider that today, in its infancy, Artificial Intelligence is unimaginably faster than mankind and has nearly the whole of human knowledge at its disposal. Further, we are now seeing the entrance of AI Agents which are, “autonomous software tools that perform tasks, make decisions, and interact with their environment intelligently and rationally … they use artificial intelligence to learn, adapt, and … can work on their own or as part of a bigger system, learning and changing based on the data they process.” Biblical Christian Worldview offers its own view of AI Agents here.

Because of the increasing ability for AI to handle complex tasks independent of human intervention, it will be deployed and interconnected with everything from our toasters to military command and control centers (Golden Dome), banking, utilities, autonomous transportation, etc. The improvements to our lives will be significant, but the downside will be a system that is so ubiquitous, we will not have the capability to simply unplug it.

The question that remains for AI is … will it become self-aware, and what will it decide regarding the state of mankind? Or, perhaps, will a malevolent individual or country inject its own self-interest into the algorithms of our AI overlords, bringing on some form of totalitarian rule?

Conclusion

For the first time in human history, mankind has invented something with attributes that have the ability to progress beyond us on their own. The advantages in the near-term and our own sin nature’s desire to win the technological race and enhance our earthly lives will ultimately result in creating a force that is beyond our ability to control.

One final point of irony or prophecy, depending on your worldview. In the Bible there is a city named Ai, mentioned in the book of Joshua, chapters seven and eight. The Canaanites who lived there were “known for their polytheistic religion and practices that were abominable to the Israelites, such as child sacrifice and idolatry. Consequently, “the name ‘Ai’ means ‘ruin’ in Hebrew, which is fitting given the city’s eventual fate.”

Back to the AI of today, God, as the Creator of the universe, has all things under His control. However, the question of how Artificial Intelligence fits into His grand plan for mankind remains to be seen.

Finally, there are at least two other technologies that are also expanding at an accelerated rate: quantum computing and robotics/transhumanism. In the not-too-distant future these three “innovations” (AI, quantum computing, and robotics/transhumanism) will merge together, the consequences of which have yet to be even imagined. In a future post, we will offer insight on these other two emerging technologies and consider the implications of an interconnection of all three in light of how the Lord has treated past efforts of mankind’s desire to become our own gods.