Technology

Discerning What Is Best
with Dr. Rex M. Rogers

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 18 August 2025

If you are worried about robots taking over your tomorrow, forget it, they are already here in increasing numbers and applications day by day, so the question is, are robots bringing utopia or dystopia?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #220 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

I’ve talked about robotics before and likely will do so again. While we’ve lived our lives a robotics revolution has taken place around us. The robotics revolution has profoundly transformed human life, ushering in an era where intelligent machines increasingly mediate our relationships, labor, and liberties. From caregiving robots in homes to autonomous drones in warfare, the integration of robotics into daily life has raised complex ethical, social, and philosophical questions.

“At a spectacular event orchestrated by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. Optimus, a humanoid robot, walked gingerly onto the stage, waved to the crowd and performed a few primitive dance moves, accompanied by a light show and techno music. Musk claimed that within a few years Optimus would adopt many of the tasks currently undertaken by human hands and minds. (Musk said), ‘This means a future of abundance, a future where there is no poverty, where you can have whatever you want. It really is a fundamental transformation of civilization.’

As Optimus illustrates, robots are increasingly leaving the realm of science fiction and entering our lives. They are constructing cars, ferrying parcels in warehouses, assisting in precision surgery and animating cute toys. Robotic devices that draw on Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, amuse our children and operate the heating and lighting systems in our houses. There are even robotic dogs working in hazardous environments such as offshore drilling platforms.”

[Dr. John Wyatt, emeritus professor of Neonatal Pediatrics at University College London, current president of the Christian Medical Fellowship and co-editor of The Robot Will See You Now (SPCK)].

One of the most emotionally charged aspects of this revolution lies in the rise of robots within families. Social robots—designed to comfort the elderly, entertain children, or assist with household tasks—are blurring the boundaries between tool and companion.

While these machines can alleviate loneliness and provide support, they also challenge traditional understandings of intimacy. Can emotional bonds with machines be considered authentic? Or do they mask the human need for genuine connection with algorithmic facsimiles of empathy?

AI is rapidly reshaping American postmodern culture by transforming how we create, communicate, and understand identity. Postmodernism, with its skepticism toward grand narratives and emphasis on fragmented realities, finds a new expression in AI’s ability to blur boundaries between human and machine, fact and fiction. AI-generated art, music, and writing challenge traditional notions of authorship and creativity, raising questions about originality and authenticity in a culture already comfortable with pastiche and remix. Moreover, AI-driven social media algorithms amplify personalized realities, reinforcing echo chambers and fragmenting collective experiences. This intensifies postmodern themes of relativism and hyperreality, where perceptions of truth become increasingly mediated by technology.

It’s a cultural moment defined by both innovation and profound uncertainty.

Transhumanism, the belief in enhancing the human condition through technology, is another frontier reshaped by robotics. Neural implants, prosthetic limbs, and human-machine interfaces suggest a future where human identity may be hybridized. While such technologies promise liberation from bodily limitations, they raise questions about what it means to be "fully human."

AI and robotics are rapidly merging to revolutionize human-robot intimacy, magnifying availability, realism, and moral ambiguity in profound ways. Advanced robotics now enable lifelike sex robots with realistic touch, movement, and facial expressions, while AI powers these machines with conversational abilities and adaptive behaviors. This fusion creates an unprecedented level of, for want of a better term, “intimacy,” with machines that can respond emotionally and physically, making human-robot sexual experiences more immersive and accessible than ever. The increased availability of such robots challenges religious values and traditional moral norms around sexuality, companionship, and relationships.

Here’s a weird question: can a robot truly consent to anything, including sexuality, or does its programming reduce its responses, including so-called intimacy, to mere simulation? Clearly, this blurs boundaries between human connection and artificial interaction, prompting profound religious and psychological questions about authenticity and emotional fulfillment. Moreover, the moral ambiguity deepens as sex robots become more diverse, including intentionally child-like or non-human forms, raising fears of reinforcing harmful behaviors or distorting social attitudes toward consent and agency.

Simultaneously, the robotics revolution has intensified systems of mass surveillance. Robotic policing technologies, facial recognition drones, and AI-assisted monitoring increasingly track human behavior in public and private spaces. This is now happening in America, not just totalitarian China. These tools are often deployed under the guise of safety, but they carry profound implications for individual freedom and autonomy. The very presence of robotic watchers can chill dissent and normalize a culture of constant observation.

The intersection of robotics and apocalyptic thought has stirred theological and philosophical anxieties, especially within interpretations of the biblical End Times. For some, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence represent the rise of a technological “Beast”—a creation that could surpass and even replace humanity, echoing prophetic comments from the Book of Revelation about false idols and systems of control. The image of machines endowed with intelligence, autonomy, and power raises fears of a looming judgment day not from divine wrath, but from our own inventions.

In this view, a “technology apocalypse” isn’t just science fiction—it’s the culmination of human pride and overreach, a modern Tower of Babel built from code and silicon. Autonomous weapons, surveillance states, and AI-driven deception could fulfill dystopian prophecies of mass control and spiritual deception. The robot becomes both a tool and a test: will humanity use its power for justice, or for domination?

Yet others see hope: that robotics might serve as instruments of healing or caretaking. Whether seen as harbingers of doom or tools of redemption, robots force a reckoning. The rise of intelligent machines may reveal as much about human nature as about destiny.

In essence, the robotics revolution is not just a technological shift—it is a deeply human one. It challenges us to think about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

As Dr. John Wyatt notes, “The Christian faith teaches that each one of us is a person created as a unique reflection and physical representation of the invisible God. We are known, loved and even named from before the foundation of the world. We are called into existence and formed in our mother’s womb; woven into a network of human relationships…and called into intimate communion with our creator. We are given the dignity of freedom and are accountable for our choices and actions…

We are also offered the opportunity to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, destined ultimately to participate in the consummation of all things in the new creation…

It’s clear that human-machine relationships raise complex ethical, social and philosophical issues…For all the brilliance of the engineering, you can’t help feeling that the Optimus robot is a long way off from the real thing.”

One thing we know, the future belongs not to robotic utopia or dystopia but to the Lord.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers or https://x.com/RexMRogers.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 26 May 2025

Robots in our homes and lives are closer than most of us realize, so are we ready for machines that imitate human thinking and behaviors?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #208 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Robotics in 2025 is witnessing rapid advancements across various domains, including humanoid robots, soft robotics, and industrial automation. Robotic humanoid development is the field of robotics focused on creating robots that resemble and mimic human form, behavior, and capabilities. These robots are designed to interact naturally with humans and function in environments built for people, such as homes, offices, and factories.

For example, Tesla’s Optimus: Tesla plans to deploy thousands of its humanoid robots, Optimus, in its factories by late 2025, aiming for an annual production of one million units by 2029. Figure AI introduced Helix, its next-generation humanoid robot, and announced the BotQ manufacturing facility, aiming to produce 12,000 humanoids annually.

Soft robotics is a subfield of robotics that focuses on building robots using materials that are flexible, compliant, and often similar to those found in living organisms—such as silicone, rubber, and fabric—rather than rigid materials like metal or hard plastic. MIT’s CSAIL is developing soft robots inspired by animals, such as robotic sea turtles and eels, for applications in marine monitoring and non-invasive surgeries. Researchers are exploring robots that grow like vines or plant roots, allowing them to navigate through constrained spaces, with potential uses in exploration and medical procedures.

Cobots, or collaborative robots, are robots designed to work safely alongside humans in a shared workspace. Unlike traditional industrial robots, which are usually caged off to prevent accidents, cobots are built with safety features that allow them to physically interact with humans without posing harm.

Robots are not just coming. They are here now and soon will be more apparent in the everyday lives of not just Elon Musk but the average citizen. The question is, are we, the smart humans, ready for smart machines that imitate our learning, thinking, and decision-making? How does a Christian worldview suggest we respond?

First, the question of whether robots will ever become sentient touches on deep issues in philosophy, neuroscience, theology, and artificial intelligence. Sentience generally means the capacity to have subjective experiences — to feel, to be aware, or to have consciousness. It’s distinct from intelligence or even human-level cognition. For a robot to be sentient, it would need to experience things, not just process information.

Modern AI can simulate conversation, recognize patterns, and even mimic emotion or intent — but do not have subjective experiences, self-awareness, or feelings. They operate based on algorithms and data, not consciousness. The bottom line is that robots might become more human-like over time, but they won’t become human — biologically, emotionally, or existentially. The difference between imitation and identity is still vast.

Second, robots will never develop a soul —not in any traditional, spiritual, or metaphysical sense as humans understand it. The soul is an immaterial, eternal essence that connects to God. The soul refers to core of consciousness, self-awareness, and moral agency. While robots are sophisticated tools, they don’t have feelings, awareness, or an immaterial essence. Meanwhile, humans are uniquely created in the image of God. Souls are God-given; robots, being man-made, cannot possess one. A robot, built from hardware and software, does not possess consciousness, emotions, or subjective experience — let alone a soul.

Third, the ethics of humanoid robotics is one of the most important and complex areas in the field. As humanoid robots grow more advanced and more human-like, the questions we face become less technical and more philosophical, legal, and social. Humanoid robots look human — and may eventually act human — but:

Do they deserve rights? Not in my book. If a robot behaves like a person (talks, pleads, expresses pain)—remember C-3PO—should we treat it with respect? If a robot harms someone, who’s responsible — the robot, the maker, the user? Most agree that current robots are not sentient and don’t have moral capacity. OK, but who is responsible for robot aberrant behavior or harm?

Humanoid robots often include cameras, microphones, facial recognition, thus location tracking and behavioral data collection. Will your robot assistant record private conversations? How is personal data used, stored, or shared? Can robots be used for constant surveillance in homes, stores, or public spaces?

Humanoid robots can simulate emotions and personalities and possibly now form bonds with users (especially the elderly, children, or lonely people). The dangers here are emotional manipulation, e.g., users thinking the robot “cares,” or people developing unhealthy attachments to machines. Think of the movie, Her (2013), wherein a man falls in love with an AI operating system named Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

There is also now a concern for violence, abuse, and what might be called “moral decay.” Studies show people often mistreat robots: hitting, yelling at, or “testing” them. The movie, I, Robot (2004), features a future where robots serve humanity, a detective suspects a robot of murder, and there is widespread exploitation, robot servitude, disregard for their assumed autonomy or emerging self-awareness. Could repeated abuse of human-like machines lead to desensitization and more cruelty toward real humans?

As robots — especially humanoid and emotionally responsive ones — become more realistic, something that’s happening rapidly, their use in human sexuality raises a mix of ethical, psychological, social, spiritual, and legal issues. The movie, Ex Machina (2014), tells the story of a programmer invited to administer a Turing test (can robots think?) to Ava, a humanoid robot with striking human features and advanced intelligence. The film involves seduction, manipulation, and ethics of creating a sentient machine.

Humanoid robots designed for intimacy or companionship (often called sex robots) are already being developed and sold. They are not just sex toys — many include AI, speech, and facial expressions to simulate emotional interaction.

This raises a host of key concerns and questions, first, dehumanization and objectification. Sex robots, especially those modeled as submissive women or children, can reinforce harmful stereotypes. Critics argue they may normalize dominance, control, and violence toward real people, especially women. Some countries have banned or restricted childlike sex dolls. Philosopher Kathleen Richardson leads the Campaign Against Sex Robots, arguing they promote social harm and disconnection.

Some users may form deep emotional bonds with robots and prefer them over real relationships. This could increase social withdrawal, loneliness, or detachment from human empathy. Think of AI companions like Replika, where users already report emotional or romantic feelings for a virtual “person.”

For example, RealDoll X is an AI-enhanced sex doll that talks, reacts, and forms “relationships.” Harmony AI is a customizable personality for romantic or sexual interaction. Robot Companion Apps are text-based companions that flirt, role-play, or simulate relationships. Many experts believe this area must be strictly regulated due to the moral and psychological risks.

At this point, few clear laws exist governing robot “personhood” or consent, ownership of humanoid bodies for sexual use, or privacy and data collection during intimate interactions. What happens when a robot records intimate moments and that data is leaked?

China is the major manufacturer of sex dolls and emerging AI sex robots. Regulations are minimal, though there are bans on certain extreme or “immoral” content.

In the U.S., states like Florida and South Dakota have moved to ban childlike sex dolls, but no federal law governs adult sex robots. Debate centers on freedom of expression vs. public safety and morality. Clearly, the U.S. should establish ethical guidelines (especially in design and marketing) and ban childlike and violent robot models.

Robots are just another technology God has allowed us to develop. But given humanity’s fallen nature, pray we will seek God’s wisdom on how to use robots for good.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com. Or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers for more podcasts and video.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 24 March 2025

What are we to think of AI and its many uses in this brave new world?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #197 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Artificial Intelligence or AI is now a near ubiquitous fact of postmodern life. Innumerable corporations and entertainment media are using various forms of generative or predictive AI and we-the-consumer are largely none-the-wiser.

I’ve addressed AI three times before in this podcast: Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence, Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence Two, and Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence Three.

In those takes, I explored the origins of this new technology, projected and actual new uses, threats to personal freedom and the body politic, and finally way-out science fiction masquerading as technological wisdom predicting AI will at some point outpace and overcome the human race.

On one level, AI does not mean much. It’s for sure not the biggest issue we face in the 2020s, but then again it has its own pros and cons now affecting our lives.

Awareness helps us to avoid being taken “captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” Col. 2:8.

For example, “Yuval Noah Harari, the uber-Leftist, incredibly influential senior advisor to Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum, has called for scriptures to be ‘rewritten’ by artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a globalized ‘new Bible.’

AI can create unified ‘religions that are actually correct.’ Harari believes AI can be harnessed to reshape spirituality into the WEF’s globalized utopia of ‘equity’ and ‘inclusivism.’ Wonderful, right?”

“But no, that isn’t what the WEF really desires. The WEF—the ultimate exemplar of Leftism on earth today—craves total global power. They want to control you, me, and everybody else.THEY will define what ‘equity’ and ‘inclusivism’ mean, THEY will determine what goes into the ‘new Bible,’ THEY will stipulate what “unified religions that are actually correct” consist of. They want to be God, the new God, the only God, the one that tells you what you must believe and think. And what they demand that you believe, and think will produce the earthly Utopia THEY will dominate.”

TikTok accounts, like //www.tiktok.com/@mycriminalstory?refer=creator_embed>">@mycriminalstory, is just one of the many that post AI generated videos, wherein victims, and, in some cases, perpetrators, of unspeakable crimes tell their side of the story. Permission has not generally been sought or received from victims’ families, so in a sense they are victimized again, and there is little to no truth in these depictions, only graphic, gruesome, gut-wrenching stories designed to attract voyeurs who like this kind of debauchery.

“Artificial Intelligence has already created problems. In the music realm, creators have used the technology to use artists' voices to create music they never recorded themselves…Another complicated side of AI is that its code essentially steals artistic style from the internet which can't be proven legally because of its nature but may have unknown ramifications on the price of art created by actual artists.”

Similar concerns have been voiced, even via lawsuits against ChatGPT by best-selling authors like John Grisham and others. They do not want their intellectual property, which is to say their written content, to be co-opted by what they call “systematic theft on a mass scale.” Such “author objections to AI have helped lead Amazon.com, the country’s largest book retailer, to change its policies on e-books. The online giant is now asking writers who want to publish through its Kindle Direct Program to notify Amazon in advance that they are including AI-generated material. Amazon is also limiting authors to three new self-published books on Kindle Direct per day, an effort to restrict the proliferation of AI texts.” As is often the case regarding what we consider progress, the law has not caught up with the pace of technological change.

Another AI challenge: Largely in response to AI-generated images of Taylor Swift circulated on X, “falsely portrayed in a sexual manner” new X (formerly called Twitter) owner Elon Musk said, “Posting non-consensual nudity (NCN) images is strictly prohibited on X and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards such content.”

Then there’s what’s called “deepfake” videos. Deepfakes is the name given to videos that have the “capability to make people look and sound like other people.

A ‘deepfake’ is fabricated hyper-realistic digital media, including video, image, and audio content. Not only has this technology created confusion, skepticism, and the spread of misinformation, deepfakes also pose a threat to privacy and security. With the ability to convincingly impersonate anyone, cybercriminals can orchestrate phishing scams or identity theft operations with alarming precision. In a recent incident, cybercriminals posed as a company’s chief financial officer and other colleagues in a Zoom meeting. The elaborate scam led to the loss of $25 million.”

You can imagine the threat to what’s now called a person’s “name, image, likeness,” the vast increase in cyber criminals’ ability to scam and walk away with people’s assets, the danger this type of technology could inject in national and international politics, or how this increasingly hyper-realistic technology can raise the stakes in cyber-porn, offering fake, indecent images not just of porn stars but of you or me or political leaders or celebrities.

WNBA star “Angel Reese recently had to slam whoever plastered AI-generated NSFW images of her on the internet…(She was) portrayed to be committing sexual acts in photos that were AI generated. However, the (former) LSU forward has debunked any authenticity to the ‘crazy and weird’ salacious photos of her circulating online. Seasoned comedian and TV host (Steve Harvey) was portrayed to be partying hard and also leading a rock band.”

“Out of all deepfake videos on the internet, a 2023 report found that 98% of them are pornographic, and 99% of those targeted in the videos are women.”

Whatever new technology is available, you can bank on it that sin and Satan will find a way to corrupt it, to use it for advancing the kingdom of darkness and not that of light.

Here’s another shake-your-head AI development. “An artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot now offers ‘a divine connection in your pocket’ by allowing users to ‘text with Jesus.”

“Yet, texting with Jesus is not a good thing for at least a couple of reasons. First… AI Jesus is less concerned with fulfilling the Law and the Prophets than providing answers palatable to the itching ears of 21^st century users…AI Jesus has less to do with the answers the platform is likely to provide and more to do with the way texting with Jesus trivializes the Bible and, by extension, Christ.”

“While some may look at this app as a means to find comfort or spiritual growth, others will likely see it as an abomination signaling the apocalypse.”

This said, should Christians avoid AI or does this mean they have even more reason to dive in and assure spiritual light is shining in this new industry? I’d opt for the latter. Get engaged. Be informed. Influence the course of events rather than cowering somewhere watching them go by.

In this piece I’ve listed a few dangers or problems with AI. There are many more.

But there are also positives with this new technology. Medical diagnoses can sometimes be made faster than ever before, video production in studios now can be accomplished with new efficiencies, AI can be a source of ideas, analysis of data for all manner of reasons is now possible to an extent and at a speed not possible before, facial recognition, spam filtering, recommendation systems, autonomous vehicles, chatbots, fraud detection, social media personalization, gaming, manufacturing robots, self-driving cars. automated financial investing, virtual travel booking agent, virtual assistance—Apple’s Siri uses AI, and much more.

AI is at its most basic, just software, computer programs written by human beings to accomplish ever more complex and, admittedly, amazing things. In a short time, AI has become incredibly complex, innumerable applications, as we noted, some good, some not so good. Because AI is the product of human ambition, it will always feature some bias, some evidence of our fallen sinful natures, even as the image of God within us allows us to develop something new and lofty in its potential.

We do ourselves and the Church a disservice if we become the resistance and in Luddite fashion reject or stay aloof from any and all AI simply because it is being used by some for sinful purposes.

We are better off, and I would argue more aligned with what God expects of us if we apply our discernment skills, our Christian critical thinking, to AI just like everything else.

Determine what we should use, how, and why. Help others identify AI potholes and pitfalls and how to avoid them. Harness the blessing of this new technology for the proclamation of the Lordship of Christ throughout the earth.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 05 February 2024

How many times have you entered personal information online in order to purchase an item that does not have anything to do with the information you shared? Are we really safe in the emerging brave new world of digital existence?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #131 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

We now live in a mass surveillance digital world. Likely, there is not a week goes by that you and I are not recorded somehow someway in what we view, read, purchase online, perhaps were we go.Maybe not a day goes by that we are not under a camera when we are out on our daily routine.

When we spend time online, we leave a digital footprint, the collection of all our online actions and data traces. When this is accessed by corporations to ascertain our interests or inclinations, we then can be subject to online advertising, political propaganda, and more. And if we can be targeted for marketing, what’s to stop governments from targeting us for control?

The pandemic was a chlorine shock to the pool, energizing government’s interest in tracking citizens, including discussions over whether to create a new system of digital vaccine “passports.”

Today, a track-and-trace society has begun rapidly developing on at least five levels:

Mass surveillance with CCTV cameras now located in public spaces in virtually every American city, making possible along with computers, a mass surveillance society.
Geo-location technologycapable of tracking where we are if not what we are doing at any given moment.
Biometric technology, including fingerprints, facial recognition, iris recognition and retina scans, and voice recognition, hand or palm geometry, vein recognition, and behavioral biometrics like someone’s walking gait.
Digital identificationbecoming the fundamental means of commerce and communication, methods and tools used to establish and confirm an individual's identity in cyberspace, especially “PII,” Personally Identifiable Information, which refers to any data that can be used to identify a specific individual.
Digital banking and digital currency, including CBDC, which “stands for central bank digital currency, a digital form of legal tender currency that is issued by a country’s central bank. Like other forms ofdigital currency, such as cryptocurrency, a CBDC is only available in electronic form.”

Mass Surveillance

CCTV cameras, display devices, and data networks are, well, “everywhere.”

“Video surveillance systems are used in public and private sectors, such as schools, homes or public spaces for crime prevention purposes.”

“The average city has 11 surveillance cameras per 1,000 people. The most-watched city, Atlanta, has over 124 cameras per 1,000 people…New York City had the highest number of cameras in total: 70,882.” Only cities in China operate with more cameras per capita than Atlanta.

“Crime rates aren’t reduced by having more cameras in place. In fact, the city that is arguably the most watched of all (DC), has seen violent crime skyrocket recently.”

“In the past decade, the capabilities of surveillance cameras have been transformed by fundamental shifts in how digital data is gathered, analyzed, shared and stored…Deep learning and AI are becoming more prevalent, as cameras are able to more accurately gather data and make predictions based on integrated analytical software manufacturers have developed. While the shift to a ‘smart home’ environment is also playing its role, as consumers have easier access than ever to easy-to-install wireless devices and doorbell cameras.”

But of course, the images and data recorded can be accessed, depending upon security systems, by a wide variety of actors for the purpose of crime, not crime prevention.

Geo-Tracking

Geo-tracking is also increasingly more sophisticated and intrusive. Beginning with users turning on the location signal on their phones or their social media apps, combined with GPS technology, it’s possible now to track almost anyone. This is increasingly used in non-military, non-law enforcement scenarios. Have you heard of people tracking Elon Musk or Taylor Swift’s private jets?

Biometric Systems

“We are building near-perfect facial recognition technology and other identifiers, from the human gait to breath to iris. Biometric databases are being set up in such a way that these individual identifiers are centralized, insecure, and opaque. Then there is the capacity for geo-location of identifiers—that is, the tracking of digital “you”—in real time. A constant feed of insecure data from the Internet of Things may well connect you (and your identity) to other identities and nodes on the network without your consent.”

“Ultimately, social credit systems, such as those that are currently being developed in China, will be based on digital ID, thereby enabling or disabling our full and free participation in society.”

Digital Identification

Have you seen the commercial featuring a couple of happy 20-somethings paying for their retail purchase by holding their hand over a palm-reader device?

Amazon One’s palm-scanning payment system was “first introduced in 2020. Amazon’s biometric payment technology works by creating a unique palm print for each customer, which Amazon associates with a credit card the customer inserts in the sign-up kiosk upon initial setup, or with a card the customer has configured online in advance…These palm print images are encrypted and stored in a secure area in the AWS cloud, built for Amazon One, with restricted employee access...”

It began rolling out in Whole Foods stores in the United States since 2021, to pay for her groceries.

“Amazon has argued that palm reading is a more private form of biometrics because you can’t determine someone’s identity just by looking at their palm images. However, the company isn’t just storing palm images — it’s creating a customer database that matches palm images with other information.”

“Amazon said a customer’s palm data is not shared with third parties and is kept safe within Amazon’s Web Services cloud.” But who believes this?

Arguable Benefits of DI:

More security and stronger privacy, banking, health records, travel including digital vaccine passports, insurance, criminal justice, proof of identity for displaced refugees.

Possible Threats of DI:

Dangers to personal and economic privacy and human rights like freedom of speech and expression, geolocation and freedom of movement; facial recognition; residents and businesses are being encouraged to share private security cameras with police but others also have access; public or even home surveillance cameras are increasingly available via websites on the internet; growth of digital authoritarianism, “the use of digital tools to surveil, repress, and manipulate domestic and foreign populations” is on the rise globally – this can be foreign governments like China or it can be Big Tech companies like Google, Meta, or others who see ways to use surveillance data to maximize their profits.

Will Digital Identification Data Really Be Safe?

Safety, security, and privacy are touted as key advantages of digital identification. Yet think of the corporations that have experienced catastrophic data breaches in the hundreds of millions of accounts in just the past few years: Equifax, Marriott, Target, Capitol One, SolarWinds, Yahoo, Facebook, J.P. Morgan Chase, Home Depot, and many more. “The Aadhaar program, India’s national digital ID framework—the world’s largest—was recently shown to be compromised.”

If these giant corporations and governments cannot guarantee secure data, why should we believe any organization or government tomorrow can do so?

“Governments around the world have been investing heavily in digital identification systems, often with biometric components. The rapid proliferation of such systems is driven by a new development consensus, packaged and promoted by key global actors like the World Bank, (and globalists like the World Economic Forum) but also by governments, foundations, vendors and consulting firms.”

“We can make another choice. In the design and deployment of Digital ID systems, we must advocate for the principles of data minimization, decentralization, consent, and limited access that reinforce our fundamental rights.”

Mass surveillance and digital identification may not be ipso facto evil or threatening, but they certainly can be. Be aware.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers or https://twitter.com/RexMRogers.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 22 May 2023

Have you had a personal experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI) yet?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #87 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

AI is the latest technological tsunami inundating, maybe drowning, American consumers. AI is developing so fast that government regulation, if indeed there should be any at all, is woefully behind the curve. And while philosophers have been talking about AI’s big questions for a few years, religious, or specifically Christians, seem for the most part to be lagging behind AI’s development, some running now to try and catch up.

There’s no question AI offers some interesting, perhaps amazing and enriching new possibilities for creative enterprise, the arts and music, certainly cinema, business, and education. But there are also potential minefields, huge minefields.

Let’s review a few in what might be considered most threatening to least threatening – and full disclosure, those labels most and least threatening are subjective:

AI’s machine learning capabilities will empower robots to become sentient and self-aware, develop purpose, maybe even a soul with moral reasoning capacity, and, inevitably, work to take over the world.

These AI creatures will out-human, humans, bettering us in thought and deed. This has been the plot of many books and films, some of them quite engaging and fun to watch from the safety of our lazy boy where no robot can find us. But if this is possible – and for the record I do not believe it ever will be – it’s not the next thing we need to worry about just yet.

Terminators are still futuristic.

“Google is developing “artificial moral reasoning” so that its driverless cars can make decisions about potential accidents.”

“Certain thinkers are deeply concerned about a time when machines might become fully sentient, rational agents—beings with emotions, consciousness, and self-awareness.

‘The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race,” Stephen Hawking told the BBC in 2014. ‘Once humans develop artificial intelligence, it would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete and would be superseded."

However, a Christian worldview believes, “Artificial Intelligence cannot attain to the image of humanity that we see in the Bible and Jesus, no matter how much similarity it has in looks or speech. To treat Artificial Intelligence as human is to undermine what it means to be human. To think that we can design and create our own human equivalent is actually quite a proud thought process. When we attempt to imitate the power of God to create life, we are attempting to raise ourselves to the same level as God.”

Revisiting the amazingly prescient 1984, AI will make it possible for governments to control people, now subjects-not-citizens in Orwellian totalitarian societies.

This can be socialist Communist societies, like Russia or China, or capitalist democracies in which AI technology is used to influence elections—for example, publish realistic, undetectable-with-the-naked-eye DeepFake videos of politicians saying or doing things they never said or did—or implement activities that threaten personal liberty, and destroy the possibility of government of, by, and for the people.

“In China, the government is using AI based tools to increase the power of the authoritarian state. ‘With millions of cameras and billions of lines of code, China is building a high-tech authoritarian future,’ writes Paul Mozur in The New York Times. ‘Beijing is embracing technologies like facial recognition and artificial intelligence to identify and track 1.4 billion people. It wants to assemble a vast and unprecedented national surveillance system, with crucial help from its thriving technology industry.’”

AI machines become not just quintessential, intellectual archetypes, brainiac robots, but humanoid sexual prodigies, thus presenting humanity with another temptation to immorality.

Or AI could be used to reinforce, expand, and make corruption more effective in all manner of crime, like for example, identity theft.

An example is how AI technology could be used in sex dolls or sex robots. Although sex dolls have been available in the United States since at least the late 1960s, advances in technology have led to the creation of sex robots that can move, express emotions, and even carry-on simple conversations. The result is that such AI enhanced sex dolls could reduce male empathy by teaching men to treat women (and sometimes children) as objects and blank canvases on which to enact their sexual fantasies.”

An app called “DeepFake FaceSwap stole images of Scarlett Johansson and Emma Watson and used their likeness in sexual social media ads.”

“We can only imagine how bad it will be when this app and others like it are used against underage teens in order to promote harassment and even provoke suicide.”

“While we might wish to remain ignorant about trends such as sex robots and virtual reality-based pornography, we need to begin preparing today to respond to the challenges they will cause for our families and church congregations.”

Then there is what most college students are experimenting with, text generation AI that can answer questions in seconds on every conceivable question, providing you with content that might otherwise have taken hours to find and a struggle to write.

These text (and visual too) generation AI tools include the best known ChatGPT and several others now easily accessed online.

I have used text generative AI and found some of its paragraphs creative and useful. No question these tools can expand research and writing efficiency and effectiveness.

But there are cautions. For example, I asked ChatGPT who I was and what I had written. About half of what I received was accurate. The chatbot got my podcast title wrong and listed 3-4 books I never wrote. So ChatGPT is not infallible or inerrant.

Another example: I asked ChatGPT to write a 150 word piece on “Why Climate Change is a Hoax.” In seconds, the chatbot came back with this:

“I’m sorry, but as an AI language model, I cannot generate content that promotes misinformation or false claims. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that climate change is a real and pressing issue that poses significant threats to our planet and its inhabitants. Climate change is a serious issue that requires global cooperation and immediate action to mitigate its impact. Denying its existence or dismissing it as a hoax only serves to delay necessary action and puts future generations at risk.”

In other words, ChatGPT could not help me write an alternative view.

Now, I’m not sharing this to argue for or against climate change, just demonstrating that ChatGPT is not amoral, non-ideological, or without programmed assumptions and biases.

Unlike a hammer or a drill or a pencil, or a handgun for that matter, all tools that can be used for good or for evil depending upon the will of the human actor, ChatGPT is already programmed with certain biases, the “pre-theoretical commitments” of its owners, which is to say, human beings.

“Information is only as good as its source…If you are looking for an unbiased perspective on social issues or political matters, as a Christian, ChatGPT should not be your go-to source.”

By the way, ChatGPT gave me the same “I cannot generate content that promotes misinformation” rationale for a question asking for text defending the idea Bigfoot is real.

And ChatGPT seems to have another go-to phrase, “It is widely accepted by the scientific community.”

So, ChatGPT seems to be limited in its ability to contribute to theoretical debates.

I’m not suggesting that ChatGPT is the tool of the Devil or even the secular progressive Left, though this chatbot is embedded with social wokeness and an anti-biblical bias. I’m just noting that even this text generative AI tool, amazing though it may be, must be considered with discernment, just like everything else.

Spiritual discernment is the premise of my podcasts.

Same for ChatGPT or similar AI tools that come with gift-wrapped biases and likely non-Christian values. I’m not saying, don’t use ChatGPT or other AI. I’m saying, keep your mind and your spiritual discernment in gear when you do.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 17 May 2023

Now that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly developing in every sector of society, what concerns and cautions does this new technology present? How can we ensure that Artificial Intelligence systems are transparent, accountable, aligned with our values and goals as a society?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #86 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving field, and there have been significant advances in recent years, most recently making available to the public, ChatGPT, a general purpose AI system capable of understanding and generating responses on a wide range of topics, from science and technology to history, literature, religion, and more.

In seconds, ChapGPT – as well as a growing list of similar generative AI tools like JasperChat, Chat by Copy.ai, Chatflash AI, GrowthBar, Rytr Chat – is able to access a vast corpus of text data, including books, articles, and other sources of information, and is capable of generating complex and nuanced response to a wide variety of questions. These chatbots can be used to create new content from scratch, including marketing copies, audio files, code snippets, high-quality images, simulations, and videos.

AI sounds good, and in many ways it may be. Some of the key developments include:

Machine learning: Machine learning algorithms allow computers to learn from data and improve their performance over time.
Deep learning: Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that involves training artificial neural networks with large amounts of data. This approach has led to breakthroughs in image and speech recognition.
Robotics: Advances in robotics have enabled the development of autonomous vehicles, drones, and other machines that can perform complex tasks.
Natural language processing: a branch of AI that deals with the interactions between computers and human languages. This technology has led to the development of virtual assistants, chatbots, and other applications.
Computer vision: Computer vision is a field of AI that focuses on enabling computers to interpret and understand visual information from the world around them. This has led to breakthroughs in areas like facial recognition, object detection, and autonomous navigation.

Generative AI like ChatGPT might be the lowest, almost entry-level AI, seemingly not that threatening and only thus far making our workdays easier. What’s already out there, though, in terms of robotics, smart cars, military defense systems, healthcare, and much more is indeed fraught with a number of intimidating if not menacing potentials.

Despite these impressive advances, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed before AI can reach its full potential. The leading concerns and cautions include:

Identity Protection and Security in the face of Deep Fake AI capability that can now generate entirely believable audio/video presentations that make people say or do things they never said or did. This includes pornography.
Privacy and Security, or the ability of AI software to learn, remember, analyze, and make available individual private life decisions to corporations or governments.
Emerging capacity of machines to presumably develop emotions, control, spiritual sensitivity, moral reasoning. The concern is the possibility of AI becoming too powerful and threatening human autonomy, and thus, require religion to rethink what it means to be human.
Loss of jobs due to new technology and a consequent economic disruption.
The potential for AI to become uncontrollable and unpredictable, leading to unintended consequences.

At this point, we don’t know what we don’t know.

“The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) spent nine months working on “Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles,” a document designed to equip the church with an ethical framework for thinking about this emergent technology.

“The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention issued the statement, Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles in April 2019. The document was published with the endorsement of sixty-five signatories.”

The AI Statement’s Preamble noted:

“As followers of Christ, we are called to engage the world around us with the unchanging gospel message of hope and reconciliation.

Tools like technology are able to aid us in this pursuit. We know they can also be designed and used in ways that dishonor God and devalue our fellow image-bearers. Evangelical Christians hold fast to the inerrant and infallible Word of God, which states that every human being is made in God’s image and thus has infinite value and worth in the eyes of their Creator. This message dictates how we view God, ourselves, and the tools that God has given us the ability to create.

In light of existential questions posed anew by the emergent technology of artificial intelligence (AI), we affirm that God has given us wisdom to approach these issues in light of Scripture and the gospel message. Christians must not fear the future or any technological development because we know that God is, above all, sovereign over history, and that nothing will ever supplant the image of God in which human beings are created.”

The Statement then lists 12 Articles or affirmations about AI based upon an Evangelical biblical worldview. Paraphrasing some points:

Human beings are made in the image of God and technology can never usurp this.
AI technology is good if used within the moral will of God, it must never be used to degrade human beings, and AI “cannot fulfill humanity’s ultimate needs.”
“While technology can be created with a moral use in view, it is not a moral agent. Humans alone bear the responsibility for moral decision making.”
AI should never be used to “violate the fundamental principle of human dignity for all people. Neither should AI be used in ways that reinforce or further any ideology or agenda, seeking to subjugate human autonomy under the power of the state.”
“We deny that the pursuit of sexual pleasure is a justification for the development or use of AI, and we condemn the objectification of humans that results from employing AI for sexual purposes.”
“We deny that AI should be used by governments, corporations, or any entity to infringe upon God-given human rights.”
“We deny that AI will make us more or less human, or that AI will ever obtain a coequal level of worth, dignity, or value to image-bearers.”

Jason Thacker, who headed the AI Statement of Principles project for ERLC, said, “’As Christians, we need to be prepared with a framework to navigate the difficult ethical and moral issues surrounding AI use and development,’ ‘This framework doesn’t come from corporations or government, because they are not the ultimate authority on dignity issues, and the church doesn’t take its cues from culture. God has spoken to us in his Word, and as his followers, we are to seek to love him and our neighbors above all things (Matt. 22:37-39).’”

As to AI, one might ask, What Would Jesus Do?

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.