"AI" and the problem of counterfeit people
“It is often said that the invention of terrible weapons of destruction will put an end to war. That is an error. As the means of extermination are improved, the means of reducing men who hold the state conception of life to submission can be improved to correspond. They may slaughter them by thousands, by millions, they may tear them to pieces, still they will march to war like senseless cattle. Some will want beating to make them move, others will be proud to go if they are allowed to wear a scrap of ribbon or gold lace.
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I have not written anything to this point about the rise of AI as it relates to the Christian or the church. I have, like many of you, been exploring it myself and reading what I can find about its genesis and those who are behind its untethering. The inspiration for this post, quiet interestingly is an atheist by the name of Dr. Daniel Dennett. Dennett is one of the four horsemen of atheism along with Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins. These four have helped to shape the New Atheist movement globally.
My opening line is certainly not intended to convey there is anyone awaiting with bated breath my thoughts on AI, just want to add another voice of concern to what looks to be a technology that will revolutionize the way human interaction takes place going forward. I saw a figure that astounded me last night involving AI. Here is a quote from the article : Over the last year, high school and college students turned in over 22 million papers that used some form of generative AI, according to data from Turnitin, which detects plagiarism and AI in schoolwork.
“Over the last year, high school and college students turned in over 22 million papers that used some form of generative AI, according to data from Turnitin, which detects plagiarism and AI in schoolwork.
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At first glance plagiarism may seem a small crime, a mere shortcut for busy students with a full academic load. However the very nature of academics is student research that leads to critical thinking and informed actions. Critical thinking is a process described as: “the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments in order to form a judgement by the application of rational, skeptical, and unbiased analyses and evaluation.” The word unbiased is key. The real problem with AI is the bias of the creator. Without going to much further along these lines and saving some of this content for future posts I would like to return to what inspired this post and what I believe is the greatest danger we face with AI.
Dennett wrote an article recently that captures his alarm with AI and the ability to create “counterfeit people”. What are counterfeit people? With the use of AI a creator can produce a counterfeit person. We have begun to see examples of this in social media advertisements: a celebrity or influencer pushing a product that is new to the market place. The person looks real, the voice matches but critical thinkers are asking would this person really give their image and reputation to promote this random product? Likely not. AI creators have generated a counterfeit person that matches the celebrity in every way: mannerisms, speech, facial recognition, even their attire. You may have also heard about parents getting an emergency call from one of their children. The voice matches but they discover at some point they are not talking to their child but rather to a counterfeit person.
Dennett wrote: “Today, for the first time in history, thanks to artificial intelligence, it is possible for anybody to make counterfeit people who can pass for real in many of the new digital environments we have created. These counterfeit people are the most dangerous artifacts in human history, capable of destroying not just economies but human freedom itself.”
“Today, for the first time in history, thanks to artificial intelligence, it is possible for anybody to make counterfeit people who can pass for real in many of the new digital environments we have created. These counterfeit people are the most dangerous artifacts in human history, capable of destroying not just economies but human freedom itself. ”
The ability to create a counterfeit person above all things will lead to a fundamental breakdown of trust in society. We have watched the rise of the counterfeit person in the World Wide Web for sometime now. Social media platforms have served to create a person that is not real. We have developed terms for people who employ the creation of counterfeit persons to attack those they disagree with and seek to cancel: Trollls and Bots. Bots are often fake persons created that use an algorithm to track persons or content the creator seeks to shut down. Trolls are often real people hiding behind false names (multiple names or accounts that pile onto persons they disagree with or wish to cancel. These are early counterfeit people but not nearly as dangerous as what AI now allows for the creator.
Every technological advance, while offering some good for mankind has offered the criminal a new tool for destruction. AI may be the pinnacle of that tool for those who have given themselves to the god of this world whose purpose is the “kill, steal and destroy” (Jn. 10:10) Because the god of this world ‘satan” is leading the ethical decay in society it is foolish to believe as Dennett does that man can fix his own problems. The problem of EVIL looms large in every generation because it cannot be cured by laws, new ethics, computer programing or anything mankind can offer.
Tolstoy in his comments that lead this post, captures the trap of invention turned over to a society that is unconcerned about Biblical morals. One mans tool for protection is another tool for destruction. Mutual assured destruction may be a deterrent but for how long? It depends largely on those who control its power. In his recent interview with Jordan Peterson, Dennett stated he believed the problems AI creates will be of greater destruction than an atom bomb. Tolstoy captures the reason why in his statement… “Some will want beating to make them move, others will be proud to go if they are allowed to wear a scrap of ribbon or gold lace.” Humanity without God will participate in its own destruction some by force others as volunteers.
The apex of the counterfeit person is found in AI. It may be too late to close the barn door. Law and order have been running behind technology for sometime and although new laws will be passed, they may only deter the lawful. I really wish I had a more optimistic or hopeful outlook for what I am uncovering with respect to the counterfeit person problem with AI. Perhaps the short term answer is going more backwards in our practices than forwards. Less digital more mechanical. Less online more in person. The latter is becoming more challenging each day as even governmental institutions are closing their public doors and requiring all or most of our interaction with them to be online.
What does all this mean for the Christian community? Authentic community is vital. A place where we can build trust with one another, a place where we can be confident that those around us are the same in public as they are in private. There are no perfect people but those who belong to Jesus pursue a life of honesty, integrity and humility. Love is a priority. True love that sacrifices, confronts, instructs and secures.
There are some early signs that I have taken notice of in our own church community that people are genuinely and sincerely searching for authentic community. It is I believe, as a direct result of what they are feeling, sensing and observing with respect to digital counterfeit person culture. That’s good news for the church. Real people being real is a comfort in times like these. Knowing one another and caring for one another. This is life in Christ Jesus.