Amazing advances are being made in technology. We reflect on what this means for us.

The brain is a marvelous thing. Neuroscientists continue to make amazing new discoveries about the functions of the brain. Google tells me that “The human brain consists of 100 billion neurons and over 100 trillion synaptic connections. There are more neurons in a single human brain than stars in the Milky Way!”

Yes, I also ask Google to fill me in. But my computer often fills my brain with lots of stuff I don’t want to know or don’t want to see. “Garbage in, garbage out” as they say. But computers can also do marvelous things. The growing popularity of AI and the complexities of Artificial Intelligence have AI scientists both flummoxed, and at the same time, empowered.

Last Sunday’s CBS’s “60 Minutes” featured the development of “Feeling of Feeling”, one of the greatest challenges of science. Prosthetic tech allowed amputee Brandon Prestwood to sense touch. Electrodes implanted in his arm muscles pick up his brain’s electrical signals for movement. A computer translates those signals to the hand. Sensors return a basic sense of touch.

While I was watching this segment of “Feeling of Feeling” I couldn’t help but think of the woman in scripture who wanted to but touch the hem of Jesus’s garment to be healed of her bleeding. Some versions say that after Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” she was “made whole”! (Matt 9:20)* This sense of being made whole is the same expression Prestwood used when his feeling of feeling was restored.

Scientists and critics alike caution about possible misuse of AI – and there will be plenty – but at this time and place let us turn our minds to our Creator God who created us, wonderfully made; the God who infused us with neurons and synapses too numerous to count; and the God who touches us with healing hands.

God’s amazing grace is with us, with scientists, and with those injured in wars. We may not be involved in developing sensors that restore touch to an amputee, but we can reach out and touch someone who is alone, or ill, or confused. Maybe we have forgotten the feeling of feeling – feeling the touch of another’s helping hand or feeling the power of God’s love, God’s amazing grace.

I’ve just dipped my toe into ChatGPT. I’ve certainly not dived in, not yet even waded. But what I’ve found so far is amazing, troubling, and also promising.

In case you’ve missed the buzz, ChatGPT is a free Artificial Intelligence (AI) chat bot that can “answer your questions, write copy, draft emails, hold a conversation, explain code in different programming languages, translate natural language to code, and more.”

I first asked ChatGPT, “Tell me about the Disciples of Christ denomination,” the denomination in which I am ordained. The answer was largely accurate and helpful. There were some curious details – and omissions – but someone who’d never heard of the Disciples would have gotten a pretty good sense of where we fit into the religious landscape. I followed up with a question about differences between the Disciples and the Independent Christian Churches (a more conservative branch of the Disciples tradition). Again, the answer was fairly accurate, although lacking nuance.

I next asked ChatGPT to “write a poem about the Annunciation.” Within seconds the software produced five rhyming stanzas, concluding:

No, it’s not great poetry, and its piety is superficial. But poems of similar quality have been quoted in sermons and appeared in print. (And a quick Google search gives no indication these lines are simply plagiarized.)

Finally, I instructed ChatGPT to “write 350 words about AI and Christian faith.” (I was hoping I could get it to write this column for me!) Like most writers, it’s first draft was too long (369 words). It spelled out some obvious issues, before concluding, “Overall, the relationship between AI and Christian faith is complex and multifaceted. It requires thoughtful consideration of the ethical implications of AI development and use, as well as a deep understanding of the nature of human beings and our relationship with God.”

Deep understanding. Although I’ve just dipped my toes in the AI waters, I doubt that ChatGPT will ever be the source of such deep understanding. Prayer and scripture, worship and contemplation will take us closer to the heart of such holy mysteries.

During Lent, we journey toward the good news of resurrection. The Soul Windows CD, The Dawning, invites you to follow Mary Magdalene to the empty tomb, guided by Bill's words and the thoughtful music of Geri Pieper. To order The Dawning, as an Easter gift for yourself or for others, click here or on the image.

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