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Written by: Rex M. Rogers

Published: 24 November 2025

Artificial Intelligence, AI, is now a fact of contemporary postmodern life, so what does it offer us, what does it mean, and how should we interact with it?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #235 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 address AI, artificial intelligence, in several earlier podcasts because it is now the most extensive and significant, potentially helpful yet potentially dangerous new technology since nuclear weapons.

AI is software that can learn, reason, understand, make decisions, or create in ways that resemble human thinking. AI doesn’t “think” like a human—but it can process information and make predictions based on patterns in data at a pace and to a near limitless extent, far out-stripping the minds of the highest IQ human beings. Machine learning algorithms allow computers to learn from data and improve their performance over time.

Deep learning involves training artificial neural networks with large amounts of data, which led to breakthroughs in image and speech recognition. AI natural language processing deals with the interactions between computers and human languages, which led to the development of virtual assistants, chatbots, and other applications.

AI is not coming. It’s here now. Auto-correct, personalized feeds, photo enhancements, GPS and navigation, commodity recommendations, fraud detection, streaming services, Siri, Alexa, security cameras, recruitment and hiring reviews, numerous academic supports, healthcare analysis, athletics analytics, generative text, audio, or video.

But AI’s enormous potential brings with it serious potential for abuse, Orwellian controls available to authoritarian governments, predictive behavioral profiling, and “Big Brother is watching you” loss of individual freedom. We now live in a mass surveillance digital world, a track-and-trace society.

Threats are also growing regarding identity protection and security in the face of Deepfake AI capability that can now generate entirely believable audio/video presentations that make people say or do things they never said or did.

AI is also being used in the production of pornography. “The FBI has documented an ‘explosion’ of sextortion schemes targeting children and teens, with these attacks linked to more than a dozen suicides.” Deepfake AI creates manipulated but realistic images and videos of real people in fake situations and are routinely used against women. “A study shows 96 percent of deepfake videos were nonconsensual pornography.” AI can take any photo and make it pornographic in seconds. This includes your photo and mine. Since the first deepfake video in 2017, the technology has only gotten better and no one is beyond reach, as for example actresses Gal Gadot, Scarlett Johansson, and Kristen Bell discovered when face swap software placed their image in pornographic films. Nonconsensual deepfake pornographic images are almost impossible to prevent.

But AI is also being used in a growing number of ways across churches, ministries, and individual Christian spiritual practice. Most of these uses are assistive tools—not replacements for pastoral care, discipleship, or Scripture—but they can support ministry, education, administration, and personal devotion.

Sermon preparation tools like pastors using AI to brainstorm sermon outlines (Logos AI, ChatGPT, Claude). Church management and administration (Planning Center, Tithe.ly). Worship planning: AI can help generate set lists based on themes. Some tools suggest transitions or Scripture readings that match the songs.

Church media teams use AI for sermon series graphics, announcement slides, or short video clips (Canva, Adobe Firefly). AI Bible study tools that help with word studies, cultural/historical context, devotionals (YouVersion, Hallow, Abide). Some ministries are using chatbots to answer questions about Christianity or guide seekers through gospel basics.

One of the most powerful applications is mission agencies using AI to translate Scripture or discipleship materials (SIL/Wycliffe AI tools). A similar application applies to dubbing or translating videos in different languages. YouTube already makes this available.

Meanwhile, Christian leaders are debating:

• Can AI be used for spiritual formation without replacing the Holy Spirit's work?
• Should AI write sermons? (Most say: AI can assist, but pastors should do the teaching themselves.)
• Concern about data privacy in ministry tools.
• Or the ongoing concern about AI deepfakes, meaning misinformation or outright falsehood or heresy.
• And importantly, whether use of AI inadvertently replaces human pastoral care with automation.

And AI may be a bit amazing at times, but it’s still just a tool, a human construction, so it’s important to remember that AI sometimes:

• misinterprets Scripture.
• combines ideas from different worldviews.
• lacks doctrinal understanding.

Leaders like Timothy Keller (before he passed not long ago), and Barna Group emphasize:

• Ethical use.
• Critical thinking.
• Human relational focus.

In 2019, “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 Statement then lists 12 Articles or affirmations about AI based upon an Evangelical biblical worldview. Paraphrasing some points:

1. Human beings are made in the image of God and technology can never usurp this.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. We deny that AI should be used by governments, corporations, or any entity to infringe upon God-given human rights.
7. 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.

Since that time, at least one of the scholars involved, Jason Thacker, is calling for an additional statement. He said, “the 2019 statement of principles was designed to jumpstart conversation about AI in the Church, which is needed now more than ever.”

“A Christian philosophy of technology,” Thacker notes, “is wholly unique in that it recognizes 1) that God has given humanity certain creative gifts and the ability to use tools, and 2) and that how we use these tools forms and shapes us.

Technology then is not good or bad, nor is it neutral. Technology, specifically AI, is shaping how we view God, ourselves, and the world around us in profound and distinct ways. While we rightly debate how to mitigate the risks and promote the good of technological advances, the Church must not give into the moral panic induced by AI, nor should we passively allow others to shape the conversation in ways that are directly at odds with the Christian tradition.”

“We must remember that the Christian moral tradition recognizes that no matter how advanced our technologies become, there is nothing that can fundamentally change what it means to be made in the image of the almighty God (Gen. 1:26-28).”

AI seems to be the bold new future, but remember, God is eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is “I Am,” meaning he exists in and knows the past, present, and future. He is not surprised by AI, nor should we be, but we are always to be responsible, to be God’s ambassadors on earth in the time he has placed us. In God’s providence, we live in an AI moment. How will we interact with and use it for the fulfilment of the Cultural Mandate (Gen. 1:28) and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20)?

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.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025  

*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.

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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.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025  

*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.

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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.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025  

*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.

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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.

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.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2025  

*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.

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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.

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.  

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

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2024   

*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.