28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
– Genesis 1:28, NRSVUE
Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam looked at how Americans were growing disengaged from their communities. The title came from Putnam observing the decline in bowling leagues even as the number of individuals who bowled grew. Putnam concluded a major factor was technological advancement individualizing leisure time, resulting in less time spent with others. Putnam feared the decline in social relationships would have dire consequences for the nation.
Glad we dodged that one.
Putnam wrote that in 2000. He was concerned with the effects of television. Pre-streaming! The social internet was a baby; Facebook was years away but grew up fast, the iPhone with it. Soon, everyone had endless entertainment in their pocket.
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt came out last year and looks at the effects of the above on young people. Haidt concluded smartphone and social media use was the main cause for the decline in youth mental health in the 2010s and 2020s. His book also contained reporting on the alarming Facebook/Instagram leaks from 2021. According to those, the company was internally aware of the social harm of their products but continued to develop addictive algorithms and promote inflammatory content to keep people on their service and so make more money on ad revenue. Now A.I. is here, ready to supercharge all the technological progress of the 21st century.
In one sense this is normal. Public companies exist to maximize shareholder value. But the world is more than companies, and God calls for our dominion over the world to be a dominion of love.
I am concerned about A.I., not because of the technology itself, but because of how we have exercised our dominion over the world’s technology recently. I am concerned about A.I. because the signs are pointing to a decline in loving relationships for the growth of money. It is worth asking the question I heard at a (pro)-A.I. conference; “In a best-case scenario, if this technology is all its advocates claim, what do we gain? Is it worth what we might lose?”
Taking a note from Putnam, I believe that is a question we are meant to ask as a community with dominion over the world, not as individuals, which is why I am writing publicly about it and would love to hear from you as we continue in holy conversation.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Luke