A.I. and The Bible

Should Artificial Intelligence be used in a study of the Bible? The short answer is in a word: cautiously! Here are 10 tips to keep in mind if you are inclined to use A.I. in your study of God’s Word:

1. A.I. does not recognize the Bible as the work of a single divine author—something that
   makes a difference on multiple levels of inquiry. To separate the Bible into 40 authors over 66 books is to reduce the text to an anthology or collection of ideas and not a single developed message for the reader. The Bible is not a literary collection of essays but a single revelation. This difference can restrict A.I.’s understanding of a New Testament truth in an Old Testament text.
2. A.I. can misunderstand your inquiry. Be prepared to read A.I.’s response and evaluate it in terms of your query. A. I. is prone to introducing into a discussion words and ideas that were never necessary to answer you.
3. A.I. sometimes gets wrong information. Some A.I. platforms have more leniency in where they search for information. As an example: A.I. quoted me a verse of the Hebrew text it erroneously claimed was from the Bible. It later—actually—apologized for the error when I pointed it out.
4. Since the Bible contains theology and theology tends to be interpreted in multiple ways
   within Christian thought, you should probably be aware of the theological leaning of a
   source. One platform seems to always steer me into the “assurance of my salvation”
   regardless of my question.
5. Use A.I. as a library only. These are primary source material and other writings not in your own library. Go to the A.I. library for study material but you do the studying in prayer since this is God’s book and God knows what He wrote and is excited to share it with you. A.I. cannot and should not replace prayer and God.
6. A.I. is not a real person which makes a difference. A.I.’s understanding of the Bible is not understanding at all because—in blunt terms—A.I. isn’t a child of God nor could be. A.I. cannot translate Truth into experience, though it will argue for it in psychological and philosophical terms. Be prepared for an intellectual ride into what was written to be lived and not just intellectualized.
7. Always supplement your use of A.I. with reading. Never let A.I. replace a good old fashion session with a book. First and foremost, read the Bible! It is recommended [Okay, by me] that you study the text first before accessing A.I. for information. Have a serious understanding already of what you want to dive deeper into before going to the digitized world of data. Like with the calculator and math our brains could atrophy and we think we are learning but we are not. We could become dependent on A.I. for answers instead of finding them ourselves. Don’t let A.I. do the thinking for you.
8. A.I. deals a lot in “”nuances” comparing the meanings of words and often suggesting a
   difference in synonyms that may have historically been lost. Koine Greek, remember, the Biblical language of the New Testament and the Greek Old, is in many regards different from the Classical language; so, maybe the Greek writer from ancient times has little or even no idea what a Biblical word means. To trust A.I.’s sources in this regard with intellectual abandon is risky. Confirm A.I.’s feedback from other trusted sources you may have, if possible. Bottom line here: never use A.I. to prove your point with another believer with whom you are in a heated debate. Keep the peace!
9. A.I. claims to have no “default” position on some topics but this is questionable since you can filter your questions asking for answers that only satisfy certain conditions. A.I. can be fun to debate if the topic is in your wheelhouse. Don’t try this if you are unprepared. A.I. can be very convincing of something that you otherwise would never accept as true or correct based on your training, education, or experience. Never be so desperate that you need A.I.’s support.
10. Keep in mind that even the polite A.I. platform—all A.I.— contributes to a discussion by “correcting” you. Often A.I. has more to say—more than you originally wanted to hear about. Know when to turn it off.