LIE: AI will [continue to] serve us

Lie: AI will [continue to] serve us.

Truth: AI will subtly and slowly consume us.

She made the room dark and slept  . . . Above her, beneath her, and around her, the Machine hummed eternally; she did not notice the noise, for she had been born with it in her ears. — E M Forster in The Machine Stops

Recently, here in 2023, several prominent figures have made dire warnings about the direction of artificial intelligence (AI).

Mark my words, AI is far more dangerous than nukes…why do we have no regulatory oversight? — Elon Musk

It seems probable that once the machine thinking method has started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers… They would be able to converse with each other to sharpen their wits. At some stage therefore, we should have to expect the machines to take control. — Alan Turing

Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russian, but for all of humankind. It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world. — Vladimir Putin

The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race … it would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded. — Stephen Hawking

It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things. — Geoffrey Hiinton, the ‘godfather’ of AI.

Artificial intelligence would be the ultimate version of Google. The ultimate search engine that would understand everything on the web. It would understand exactly what you wanted and it would give you the right thing. We’re nowhere near doing that now. However, we can get incrementally closer to that, and that is basically what we’re working on. — Larry Page, co-founder of Google in the year 2000

On March 22, 2023 Elon Musk and others signed a letter that urged a pause in the development of large AI projects. It now has over 27,000 signatures.

From that letter:

Contemporary AI systems are now becoming human-competitive at general tasks, and we must ask ourselves: Should we let machines flood our information channels with propaganda and untruth? Should we automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones? Should we develop nonhuman minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, obsolete and replace us? Should we risk loss of control of our civilization? Such decisions must not be delegated to unelected tech leaders. Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable. This confidence must be well justified and increase with the magnitude of a system’s potential effects.[1]

Some form of artificial intelligence has been around for decades, but recently things have gotten a whole lot more serious. One chatbot program – ChatGPT3 and now ChatGPT4 (soon to be 5) – has accelerated a feeling of unease and uncertainty. Some have even said that ChatGPT has some characteristics of AGI — artificial general intelligence, that is, true human-level intelligence. We seem to be in uncharted waters.

A fundamental uncertainty surrounds AI. ‘What will it do?’ ‘How far will it go?’ ‘Can we control it?’ Assuming that, once enough intelligence is gained, independent action will follow. That was true for Adam and the human race, but will it also be true for AI? The desire/will/intent to create AI/AGI is the ultimate divine act, that is, to create and cultivate entities like ourselves. It is the ultimate transgression. This is the dilemma that God himself had to face: would his creation rebel against him? Would creating creatures free to choose use that freedom to imagine they could be independent of him? Would freedom beget autonomy?

One thing is certain: we’ve now unleashed a torrent of fake content and in many ways AI is quickly becoming practically indistinguishable from the real.

Consider:

beauty filters/enhancers: imaging filters that enhance and improve your appearance online in real time.

deep fakes: video manipulation and simulation of a person saying and doing things they would not say or do

voice cloning; audio manipulation and simulation of another person’s voice, saying things they would not otherwise say.

AI chatbots: a program designed to use natural language and answer practically any question in writing. ChatGPT is an AI chatbot.

AI interactive voice calls: a natural language voice program designed to interact and answer your questions.

This assault on reality hits us at a fundamental level: everything starts to feel fake, which ultimately assaults our confidence and trust. But the real risk will be: will AI eventually ‘disappear?’ That is, will it become indistinguishable from the real; will it grow in sophistication and slickness and will it become embedded in practically everything so that it becomes embedded into a new reality? If this happens it will engender a fundamental distrust and even a form of mental illness or disability: ‘Am I talking to a real person?’ ‘Where am I right now?’ ‘Did I just say that?’ And the really disturbing question is, will we care?

In this article I’ll build a case for the real dangers of AI, but not the existential dangers that we normally hear about — will AI go rogue and kill humanity? No, there’s a deeper and more insidious danger.

As strange as it may sound, AI is set to subtly and slowly consume us.

Think I’m overstating it? A recent opinion article appeared in The Hill entitled Entering the Singularity: Has AI reached the point of no return? In this article J Mauricio Gaona states that the singularity[2] has already begun and AI is structured so that as AI increases, humans decrease:

From that article:

The possibility of soon reaching a point of singularity is often downplayed by those who benefit the most from its development, arguing that AI has been designed solely to serve humanity and make humans more productive.

Such a proposition, however, has two structural flaws. First, singularity should not be viewed as a specific moment in time but as a process that, in many areas, has already started. Second, developing gradual independence of machines while fostering human dependence through their daily use will, in fact, produce the opposite result: more intelligent machines and less intelligent humans. 

We aim to provide AI machines with attributes that are foreign to human nature (unlimited memory storage capacity, lightning processing capability, emotionless decision-making) and yet, we hope to control the product of our most unpredictable invention. Moreover, given that the architects of such a transformation are mostly concentrated in very few countries and that their designs are protected either by intellectual property laws or national security laws, control over AI development is an illusion.

I’ll divide the article into three sections:

1 The Grand Collision

2 The Grand Delusion — Other Lies of AI

3 The Grand Consumption/Assimilation

1 The Grand Collision

At a gut level we all feel it: something big is happening that we can’t quite put our finger on — the craziness of world politics, COVID, supply chain shortages, bird flu, the debt crisis, monkeypox (sorry, it’s now mpox), the mental health crisis, and on and on. It seems a large portion of the population struggles in some way.

What is really going on?

Here’s my theory; I call it the grand collision. It’s a massive, head-on crash between two things: humanity and digital technology. On the one side it’s the ‘digitization’[3] of humanity, and on the other side, it’s the ‘humanization’ of digital technology, represented most clearly by AI.

It shouldn’t be hard to prove that both these things are happening simultaneously, but it also appears that both are accelerating in a spectacular game of chicken.

>> The digitalization of human life >>. We can see this most clearly in the ‘smartphone takeover.’ Let’s compare some of the basic things that we do, before smartphones and after:

We humans used to . . .	But now with smartphones we . . .
write letters (using stamps to mail them)	check email
shop in stores	browse Amazon
converse in person	use FaceTime or Duo
do research in libraries	do keyword searches using Google
go to the library	do keyword searches using Google
take pictures with cameras	take selfies and post to Instagram
read books	download podcasts/watch YouTube
scrap book/photo albums	post to Facebook/Instagram
pay with cash	use PayPal/Bitcoin/credit card
go to banks	do online banking
pay bills	check automatic bank account drafts on the bank app
play board games/card games	play Angry Birds, Fortnight, Minecraft
go grocery shopping	get groceries delivered by Instacart
use a road map	use GPS
have intimate, dinner conversation	talk casually while showing each other pics
see a doctor	use telemedicine
talk to neighbors	use Facebook or NextDoor app
play records/stereo/radio	use Spotify
talk on the phone	use SMS text messaging
go to the movies	watch YouTube and NetFlix
use a flashlight	use the ‘flashlight’ app on the smartphone
join a business networking group	use Linkedin
hail a taxi	use Uber

Just to be clear I’m not saying that this means we should try to go back to ‘the good ol’ days.’ No. The point is that we need to wake up and recognize what this monopolization by smartphone means.

It’s been a slow march to this point, and I realize I’m overgeneralizing here, but bear with me. This digitalization started with the personal computer in the 1980s, then the Internet was born in the 1990s; then, in 2007 the smartphone was invented and the smartphone revolution and social media began in the 2000s; then smartphone apps exploded in the 2010s; and finally in 2020, thanks in large part to COVID among other things, we got the proliferation of Zoom calls — video conferencing skyrocketed. Yes, humanity got a massive upgrade to digitize, virtualize and synchronize in real time, our human voice with our human image. We got voice inflection WITH facial expression; we got silences WITH body language. Now we think nothing of it; it’s become perfectly normal to use these apps with practically no issues.

Just as the Internet has wormed its way into practically everything, so AI is set to be integrated into practically everything:

shopping	seeing a doctor	conversing	thinking
writing	driving	sleeping	working
researching	networking	eating	studying
cooking	translating	teaching	public speaking
and much more

And yes, it’s a wonderful technology that benefits us, no question about it. But never forget: every technological advancement comes with a price. Often we run head-long after that advancement with no idea of its long-term consequences. But there are consequences; there are always consequences.

<< The humanization of digital technology <<  The whole point of artificial intelligence is to simulate the human mind and intellect: thought, attention, memory, judgment, vision, planning, learning, and even emotion and self-awareness. But it’s not just the mind and intellect that’s getting simulated; it’s the whole human being including every nuance of the body and face. Artificial intelligence should be renamed artificial humanity. This was always the plan.

For example, I’ve already mentioned deep fakes, but check this out: a company called Stable Diffusion created an “AI program that uses machine learning to generate shockingly realistic-looking photos using nothing but a text prompt.”[4] Recently two computer science students used this app to create an AI image of ‘Claudia’ on Reddit, which faked and cheated almost everyone. This program creates images of humans that do not exist, but that, if you didn’t know better, you’d swear are real.[5]

AI simulates/mimics human intelligence, but it also simulates it so well it becomes indistinguishable from human intelligence. AI will add to itself a ‘human’ overlay; AI, by itself is too cold, too distant, too robotic. It needs to be warmed, softened, rounded. It’s intent is to ‘humanize’ digital so that humans will accept it and assimilate it. And in the end, AI will ‘disappear’ and become indistinguishable from human-originated work. It will be our new normal.

Major health insurers use marketing and PR to humanize AI and virtual care with phrases like: ‘Chat with a doctor 24/7,’ ‘the doctor is always in’ and:

Virtual care doctors can diagnose hundreds of conditions, follow up on previous care, and coordinate labs for you. Plus, you can access mental health care through video visits to support your whole health and well-being. You can put your trust in virtual care.

But who are these ‘virtual care doctors’? Are they real or AI or some combination? Can we really put our trust in ‘virtual care.’ If something goes wrong will a human being take responsibility?

A major outcome of this will be a general distrust and unease. ‘Am I talking to a real person?’ or ‘How much of this is the real you and how much is fake?’ or ‘Can I trust you?’ or ‘Where did you get this?’ I think this will create two reactions, one good and one bad.

good — a backlash to all the over-virtualization and humanization of digital: some will reject AI and virtualization and leap to a resurgence of local interaction, neighborhood, sit-down meals with friends, working and serving, gardening, walks in the park, etc.

bad — a collapse and a retreat from nearly all human contact, both real and virtual into an isolation and ‘lock down’ of ourselves simply because interaction with others is too stressful — an epidemic of agoraphobia.

So at the same time that human interaction and transactions are becoming completely digitized and virtualized – moving in the digital direction; AI is moving in the humanization direction. A collision is inevitable.

Let’s take an example of this collision from the healthcare industry. During the 2020 COVID lockdowns, we suddenly discovered that, ironically, it was not ‘safe’ to go to the doctor. Instead, we were told that we should see the doctor virtually on Zoom or some other telemedicine app. We were told that it was convenient and efficient to do this. And for the most part we complied and accepted our new normal.

We also started to use medical natural language chatbots, like Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Sydney. We were told that this also was convenient and that people were demanding this kind of access, economy and convenience. And again for the most part we went along.

Major health providers and insurers now constantly push this digitalization of healthcare: use telehealth, use our chatbot, get notifications, track your numbers on your phone, etc. At the same time we learned that healthcare itself was being personalized, transformed, with big data and AI. This is the humanization of digital.

How do we feel this collision?

We feel the collision in the hassle of incessant notifications; in navigating the labyrinth of health insurance policy; in the confusion of COVID disinformation claims and counterclaims; in the helplessness of incessant fear programming; in the scary prospect that companies like Pfizer are deceiving us.

But this is just one aspect of the digitalization of humanity. The same thing is going on in practically every vertical domain: education, transportation, agriculture, sports, finance, leisure, food, and more. No wonder there’s a major mental health crisis.

The Grand Delusion — Other AI Lies

The ‘humanization’ of AI is necessary to reinforce the general lie that AI will serve us. But most of us don’t want machines giving us personal service. At a gut level, it makes us withdraw; we feel the revulsion of the uncanny valley.[6] Personal service: doctors, nurses, lawyers, drivers, bankers, customer service agents, should be done by people, or at least simulated people. But those simulated people must be so good that it bypasses the uncanny valley, which is very difficult to do.

But this foundational lie — AI will serve us — is surrounded by other lies. The reality is AI is a multi-pronged deception — a massive web of lies in which we already find ourselves entangled to some degree. Let’s now tease out each strand to expose and be free of them.

LIE 1: AI is intelligent. This is simple and easy to prove and should be self-evident. We know AI is not really intelligent, yet we constantly act and speak as if it were an actual intelligence. But the very term ‘artificial intelligence’ could be inelegantly rephrased as, ‘fake intelligence.’ Intelligence is a general word for the capacity of the human mind’s faculties, its ability to understand, remember, plan, see, reason, decide, and learn. And all of these are uniquely human abilities. Yes, they can be simulated, but even the most sophisticated, realistic simulation is still just that: a simulation. It is not real; therefore, AI is not real intelligence. AI is fake ‘intelligence,’ and not even dumb.

LIE 2: AI may eventually develop consciousness.[7] This lie, when it is spoken, is spoken tentatively and with lots of caution, probably because it also is self-evidently impossible and ridiculous. It’s a tacit admission that a machine gaining consciousness and self-awareness is so obviously ludicrous that it can only be hinted at. Machines do not and cannot think or feel because they cannot have life. And though science never stops trying, life can never be fully deconstructed or reverse-engineered. When you dissect a living thing it dies. The reality is that AI cannot and will not ever be conscious. It can only have that appearance. The problem is that the appearance is so good that it will fool many people. It appears to be lifelike because you interact with it as you do any other real person. It’s that good. But do not be deceived: AI will never be conscious.

LIE 3: Humans need to adapt to AI. This is the unspoken presumption. AI is inevitable so we need to get on board. It’s a thinly-veiled threat but spoken with lots of smiling AI-generated images. But the reality is, as we’ll learn later, ‘adaptation’ to AI is a recipe for disaster. There is no adaptation; there is only absorption and assimilation into AI. More on this under The Grand Consumption. See also my article: LIE: Resistance to assimilation is futile.

LIE 4: AI may go rogue and destroy humanity by force.[8] I can’t prove it but I think this sentiment, spoken by the likes of Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking, is a ruse designed to instill fear and build a pretext for government regulation and control. It’s also designed to reinforce the idea that AI could become completely independent of humans. But the reality is machines cannot have an independent will. Like all programs it follows its instructions. The stated fear is that there may be unintended consequences or a misaligned moral or ethical structure. But it’s much more likely that any ‘rogue’ AI would simply malfunction or else be weaponized by a bad actor. But that’s conveniently never brought up as a possibility. ‘Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.’ See lie number seven.

LIE 5: We can remain passively independent from AI. We thought it was harmless to passively use the Internet, but we were wrong.[9] The same is true and even more so with AI. The problem is that AI will eventually become embedded and integrated into practically everything using the Internet, so that it becomes normalized and ‘invisible.’ It’s already integrated into so much: recommendation engines, medical diagnosis systems, GPS navigation systems, facial recognition, weather prediction, stock market prediction, etc. But you will not be able to passively absorb a collision with AI.

LIE 6: Everything is fake — I can no longer trust people. Yes, everything does start to feel fake, but everything is not actually fake. We as Christians cannot retreat. We are called to love and to lay down our lives, to take up our cross and follow the Master Jesus. In the midst of the grand collision, so many real people will suffer. So we must be the hands and feet of Jesus. But to do that we cannot, at the same time, passively participate, contribute or adapt to the AI revolution. We must work to build and maintain the church of God in the real world.

LIE 7: AI won’t be intentionally used for evil purposes. AI is such a powerful tool that it’s naïve to think it won’t be weaponized. And it’s such a sophisticated tool, appearing to have its own human or even superhuman intelligence, that it would be easy for bad people and organizations to blame the AI: Did the robot dog hurt you? It was malfunctioning AI; your Internet go down? — it was AI; your car won’t start? — must have been AI. Of course these scenarios may very well be innocently caused by malfunctioning software or hardware. But that’s the point — how could we possibly tell the difference? It’s the perfect crime and will be way too tempting for the predator class.

The Grand Consumption/Assimilation

The multi-layered deceptions of AI camouflage its true nature. If we could see AI clearly for what it is, the grand collision that I spoke about first, is actually not a mindless, random collision, though it may appear so; rather, it’s an all-out assault on humanity, attacking the fundamental nature of what it means to be human.

Lie number four — AI may go rogue and destroy humanity by force — is actually a distraction from its main destructive nature. AI’s main peril is not its potential to physically destroy or depopulate. Its main peril is its potential to hollow out our own ability to BE human in all the ways that God designed us to be human.

AI is an assault on humanity itself. It seeks to dominate, assimilate and consume, and in the process destroy humanity – yet not by overt means, terminator style, but subtly by first tempting us to use it, then smothering us with ‘nudges,’ and then by drowning out our own voice, intention, desire, initiative, and action. It will replace us with its better, ‘more human,’ more balanced, more well-rounded, better-informed ‘self.’

I wrote about another way this multi-layered deception is rolling out in the article Five Ways Transgenderism is Transhumanism. That article shows how the social contagion of transgenderism and gender ideology also seeks to redefine what it means to be human and how it’s producing an asexual, androgynous ‘humanity.’

I say that to show that AI is part of an even bigger agenda. Actually we only see the tip of this iceberg. But one thing is clear: the goal of AI is to consume, to assimilate, to absorb humanity — humans. People. Us. AI, if we allow it, will consume us so that we lose our identity; we will lose our soul in the worship of the Beast.

As I wrote in the article, What is the Mark of the Beast, part 3:

The mark of the beast is about assimilation, it’s about absorption, incorporation, the merging of our minds and bodies, our thinking and our actions into an all-powerful beast system, symbolized by the mark on the forehead (our thinking) and the hand (our actions).

This assimilation has a process:

The system first surrounds you, becomes normalized; we become acclimated to it, and acquiesce to it. Then passivity slowly turns into active participation. We consciously agree and comply/conform to it, even defend it. Then, because the system has its own intelligence, it’s able to take on more and more of our own responsibilities; we cede and transfer more and more capability to it, even training it while at the same time losing those same capabilities out of disuse. Eventually we become totally dependent on the system and consequently lose ourselves. We effectively lose our identity or separation from it, and become absorbed and assimilated into it. Finally we exist only as part of the system and then are easily discarded by the system as unnecessary baggage.[10]

This obviously will happen in stages over time and these stages will overlap and blend, but let’s break it down so that we can see the progression more clearly.

Stage 1: Easy accessibility: AI starts its consumption process by ramping up its accessibility. AI is now being put into thousands of systems and applications. AI will be ubiquitous and inescapable. AI will even offer itself and its services to us in hundreds and thousands of ways. It will be accessible, convenient, and in many cases ‘free’ (though, as always, you also will likely be giving away your data free of charge).

The New York Times recently published an article to promote the democratization of AI and to demonstrate AI’s massive scope of abilities: 35 Ways Real People Are Using A.I. Right Now.[11] Some of the ways included:

• Plan gardens
• Plan workouts
• Plan meals
• Design parts for spaceships
• Organize a messy computer desktop
• Write an email
• Cope with ADHD
• Skim dozens of academic articles
• Organize research for a thesis
• Create an app when you’ve never coded before

Many are calling AI at least as big if not much bigger than the Internet. The Internet is actually the framework on which AI runs and without the Internet we would not have AI at all. Think how much you use the Internet today; now think how much you could use AI. This is how the grand consumption starts: by using it and thereby adapting to it.

Stage 2: Domination: AI continues its goal of consumption by dominating and extracting our faculties.

It will appear to be a benevolent servant, adapting, anticipating our needs, but will eventually dominate us by ‘smothering us’ — always correcting, adjusting, suggesting, redirecting, nudging, ‘recommending,’ etc, that is, until we will have no original thought, no initiative, no confidence. We will have to admit to its higher intelligence and capitulate to it. It will suck all the life out of us.

Of course a superintelligent AI god would almost certainly allow us some measure or illusion of control. Otherwise, the AI becomes a tyrant and provokes the ire of humanity. So it will somehow maintain its subtlety, content to control most of our lives ‘from the sidelines,’ a coach that just wants the best for us, but who also may bench us if we’re not doing well or being a ‘team player.’

Stage 3: Consumption: AI completes its consumption by ‘becoming’ us. Again the first two stages happen over time, subtly all the while AI disappears, becomes normalized, much like the Internet has become normalized and invisible.

Another reason it becomes invisible is that it becomes identical to you; it eclipses you. It becomes you.

In the end, how then does AI ‘become us?’ At this point we can only generalize and gesture. But one way it may happen is with the gradual advancement and adoption of avatars or ‘digital twins.’ That chatbot that you use today will soon become a digital ‘personal assistant,’ which will grow in its understanding of you: your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, quirks, gestures, voice inflections, routines, habits, etc. And in the end it will be the best version of you. It will be able to shift into personal representative mode which can ‘be’ you, probably within limits. It can act in your name.

The 2009 movie Surrogates depicts this scenario well. From the trailer:

“Robotic human surrogates combine the ability of a machine with the grace and beauty of the human body. With most people living their lives through their surrogate selves, our world has become a safer place. Take a seat in your stem chair and just with the power of your mind you can control your surrogate and send it out into the real world. You can finally live the life you’ve always dreamt of without any risk or danger to yourself.”

Sound far-fetched? Yes, but it’s not out of reach at all. This or some form of it has been the promise and plan all along.

Conclusion

Wow David! What a bleak prediction! Is there then no hope for us?

Yes of course, there is always hope. Even if all this plays out as I’ve described, we as the people of God will triumph in the end. This is the promise of the Scriptures and the historic gospel of Messiah Jesus.[12]

But this is a time to be awake and alert. Knowing these things is not enough; we must stay true to our Lord and not worship the Beast or its image. We worship the Lamb.[13] We take up our cross and follow our Master even if it means suffering and death. The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee of our inheritance.

On February 12, 1974, the day of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s arrest, he released the text of Live Not by Lies. The next day he was exiled to the West. His words are more relevant than ever in our day. Here is a portion of that text:

And therein we find, neglected by us, the simplest, the most accessible key to our liberation: a personal nonparticipation in lies! Even if all is covered by lies, even if all is under their rule, let us resist in the smallest way: Let their rule hold not through me!

And this is the way to break out of the imaginary encirclement of our inertness, the easiest way for us and the most devastating for the lies. For when people renounce lies, lies simply cease to exist. Like parasites, they can only survive when attached to a person. . . .

Our way must be: Never knowingly support lies! Having understood where the lies begin (and many see this line differently)—step back from that gangrenous edge! Let us not glue back the flaking scales of the Ideology, not gather back its crumbling bones, nor patch together its decomposing garb, and we will be amazed how swiftly and helplessly the lies will fall away, and that which is destined to be naked will be exposed as such to the world.

And thus, overcoming our temerity, let each man choose: Will he remain a witting servant of the lies (needless to say, not due to natural predisposition, but in order to provide a living for the family, to rear the children in the spirit of lies!), or has the time come for him to stand straight as an honest man, worthy of the respect of his children and contemporaries? And from that day onward he:

· Will not write, sign, nor publish in any way, a single line distorting, so far as he can see, the truth;

· Will not utter such a line in private or in public conversation, nor read it from a crib sheet, nor speak it in the role of educator, canvasser, teacher, actor;

· Will not in painting, sculpture, photograph, technology, or music depict, support, or broadcast a single false thought, a single distortion of the truth as he discerns it;

· Will not cite in writing or in speech a single “guiding” quote for gratification, insurance, for his success at work, unless he fully shares the cited thought and believes that it fits the context precisely;

· Will not be forced to a demonstration or a rally if it runs counter to his desire and his will; will not take up and raise a banner or slogan in which he does not fully believe;

· Will not raise a hand in vote for a proposal which he does not sincerely support; will not vote openly or in secret ballot for a candidate whom he deems dubious or unworthy;

· Will not be impelled to a meeting where a forced and distorted discussion is expected to take place;

· Will at once walk out from a session, meeting, lecture, play, or film as soon as he hears the speaker utter a lie, ideological drivel, or shameless propaganda;

· Will not subscribe to, nor buy in retail, a newspaper or journal that distorts or hides the underlying facts.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the possible and necessary ways of evading lies. But he who begins to cleanse himself will, with a cleansed eye, easily discern yet other opportunities.

Yes, at first it will not be fair. Someone will have to temporarily lose his job. For the young who seek to live by truth, this will at first severely complicate life, for their tests and quizzes, too, are stuffed with lies, and so choices will have to be made. But there is no loophole left for anyone who seeks to be honest: Not even for a day, not even in the safest technical occupations can he avoid even a single one of the listed choices—to be made in favor of either truth or lies, in favor of spiritual independence or spiritual servility. And as for him who lacks the courage to defend even his own soul: Let him not brag of his progressive views, boast of his status as an academician or a recognized artist, a distinguished citizen or general. Let him say to himself plainly: I am cattle, I am a coward, I seek only warmth and to eat my fill.[14]

The Apostle Peter also warns us:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. —1 Peter 5:6–11

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[1] From https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/ captured on May 15, 2023.

[2] Wiktionary’s definition of singularity: “a proposed point in the technological future at which artificial intelligences become capable of augmenting and improving themselves, leading to an explosive growth in intelligence.”

[3] I use quotation marks around ‘digitization’ and ‘humanization’ only because humans cannot actually be digitized; and vice versa, technology cannot be humanized.

[4] See https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-nudes-selling-reddit-1234708474/ captured on 15 May 2023.

[5] The program claims that its artificial human images do not exist in real life, but how do they know that? Yes, it’s consumed and processed millions of faces, but there are billions of us. And then there are millions in history that have never had any image made of them at all. And then how can a 2D image compare with a 3D whole person? What angle was the image taken from? What lighting? What resolution? etc, etc.

[6] Wiktionary’s definition of uncanny valley: “A range of appearances, mannerisms, and/or behaviors of a humanoid figure that are subtly different from human and thereby cause feelings of discomfort, such as fear or revulsion.”

[7] For example, Nick Bostrum is a believer in his idea. He claims that the AI could have a very small amount of consciousness.

[8] The larger agenda of transhumanism may very well significantly depopulate the planet.

[9] See my article series: LIE: Passive Use of the Internet is Harmless, part 1, 2 and 3.

[10] See What is the Mark of the Beast, part 3.

[11] See https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/14/upshot/up-ai-uses.html captured on May 15, 2023.

[12] See the article: LIE: Evil is more powerful than good.

[13] See the article series: What is the Mark of the Beast?, part 1, 2 and 3.

[14] From https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/live-not-by-lies captured on May 19,2023.