artificial intelligence

my car knows best?

Posted on by Grace Day

Maybe you recall from some previous posts that I am dealing with a new car after twelve years of being comfortable with my previous car. Now I bought the exact same kind of car, but even so, apparently a lot changes in twelve years. My new car is very bossy. It seems to think it knows better than I do and consequently it does a lot of things without consulting me first. It bothers me that my car seems to think it knows best, rather than allowing me to be the one calling the shots. A battle is definitely brewing between my car and myself. It is a battle to decide who’s in charge.

I guess it’s not all negative however. For instance, when I get into my car, my seat automatically adjusts to a position that I have previously chosen and “set” with the controls. When I open my door to get out of the car, my seat automatically slides back, giving me more room to get out, I guess making my exit from the car easier. It’s a nice gesture on my car’s part. I guess I can live with that.

Then there’s the lights. My car is in charge of them. I used to be the one turning them on and off manually. Not so anymore. My car decides when the lights come on and go off. And my car does this with the “brights” also. My car turns them on when she deems it necessary and turns them off when she decides it is appropriate to do so. I have to admit though, my car seems to get this right. When there is oncoming traffic, she turns the brights off in plenty of time, so as not to “blind” the drivers in the approaching cars. She does a better job than I would do actually, because sometimes I forget to turn off my brights and I definitely don’t like it when approaching drivers fail to turn their brights off. I guess they don’t have a car that makes those critical decisions for them?

Then there’s the radio. Now sometimes I am listening to a favorite song or an interesting discussion or some news and I arrive at my destination but I want to continue listening for a few more seconds or minutes. In the past, I would turn off my engine to save gas but continue sitting in my car listening to the radio. I can’t do that anymore. When I turn off the engine, my car turns off the radio. So if I want to continue listening to the radio, I have to keep my car running even though I am sitting in a parking space or in my garage. Doesn’t my car realize that I want to save gas AND continue to listen to my radio program at the same time? Previously, the two were not mutually exclusive. Why should I have to choose one over the other now? My car refuses to negotiate on this point.

Then there’s the seat heater. My old car had this feature and I loved it. I could have it “off” or on “low” or on “high.” I was in charge of this decision. Now my new car decides if it is cold enough for the seat heater to turn on or not. I can see by the lights on the button on the dash for this feature if it is off, or if it has one, two or three lights on. Because it has been very cold this past month, I usually see three lights lit on the seat heater control when I first start out. But soon it has been turned off. Now if I were in charge of this decision, the seat heater would still be on. I like being warm. But my car has decided that my seat is warm enough and has made the decision for me to turn it off. I guess my car thinks it knows best. But I disagree. I really want to be the one in charge.

I have mentioned my car’s bad behavior in the carwash in a previous post. My car also does this when I pull into the garage. She beeps frantically, panicking because she erroneously believes I am going to hit what’s in front of me. But if I stop before her beeping starts, I am not far enough into my garage to allow the garage door to close behind us. My car does not understand this and no amount of reasoning on my part can change her mind. (if she has one, which she doesn’t – she has only preprogramed instructions better known as A.I.)

My car is also a bit of a hypocrite. She won’t let me play the radio once the engine is off, but she leaves the lights on after the engine is off and even after I get out of the car, her lights are still on, even as I walk away from her. I have a confession – I always stop a short distance away and watch, waiting to be sure she turns off her lights. She does, but what if she forgets? Leaving car lights on is what drains your battery and then your car won’t start. I once had that happen with the interior ceiling light of my old car. I turned it on to search for something, then shut the car and walked away. When I returned, the battery was dead.

Another thing my car does is turn herself off when I am stopped in traffic. She restarts automatically when I take my foot off the brake. I guess this is good because it should save gas, thereby saving me money, and that is always a good thing. Although I have noticed that sometimes my car restarts when I am still stopped in traffic. I don’t know why. Did she just decide on her own that she had been idle too long? Who knows? I thought that was my decision to make – when to take my foot off the brake and activate my engine, but I guess not? Ultimately, my car is making that decision for me.

And so I am participating in this battle of the wills with my car. Who is really in charge here? Much of the time, I feel like it is my car who is making the decisions. She won’t even start if I don’t have my foot on the brake. I feel like this is unnecessary. My old car would start without that as long as it was in “park.” In fact, with really older cars, we used to start them with one foot on the gas to rev the engine, to get it going if it was having trouble starting. (of course the car was in “park”)

My car will beep alarmingly if there are cars passing to the right or to the left of me. She beeps when I pull in or out of parking spaces if she thinks I am getting too close. (sometimes that is the only way into or out of a parking space – you cut it close, but you make it – you have a visual of the situation)

I guess my car is just looking out for me. She is trying to protect me from harm with all the warning beeping going on and with the working of my headlights for me. She tries to save me gas, and she turns off her own lights and locks herself up as I walk away. I had to turn off the lights and lock my old car myself. I kind of liked being in charge of those things. Although, I guess if I forgot to do those things I would end up with a dead battery or a stolen car or the contents of my car taken. So maybe my new car does have my back. Although she does lock herself up before I am done unloading the groceries and this is annoying.

Still, I have to ask myself if my relationship with my car mirrors in some aspects the relationship that I have with my Heavenly Father. Is it a constant battle for who will be in charge? Do I question whether my Creator knows best? I certainly question whether or not my car knows best. I feel like my A.I. driven car (pun intended) has an agenda and I’m not really sure what it is or if I can trust it.

My Heavenly Father definitely has an agenda for me, an agenda He does not hide from me, an agenda I can trust because I can trust Him. He’s pretty upfront about His plans for me and His intentions towards me. In Jeremiah and Isaiah respectively, I read –

” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!” (Isaiah 30:18)

Jesus told His disciples –

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Psalm 121 also makes clear to me that my Heavenly Father does have my back and (unlike my car) does know best –

“My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:2-8)

” . . . in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

God knows best – my car? not so much . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

AI and all things artificial

Posted on by Grace Day

I can’t stop thinking about artificial vs. real after writing yesterday’s post. I mean, the Israelites had a relationship with an all wise, all powerful, loving, good God. And they traded all that in for a golden calf? That calf hadn’t sustained them with manna or “bread from heaven” new every morning BUT God did. That calf hadn’t rescued them from their oppressors BUT God did. That calf didn’t know them personally, didn’t even know their names BUT God did. Our God is a personal God. His word says this about Him –

“He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of HIs great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26)

I think it’s safe to say if God knows the name of every star in the sky, He also knows the name of every person He has created in His image. Actually, we are told He knows more than just our names. Our Heavenly Father knows every hair on our heads. He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. He knows the way that I take. So I can be sure that God knows not only my name, but each and every one of our names.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)

“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

I can’t say as much for that golden calf, however. The calf knew nothing about anything. But God knew and knows everything, including the names of all the rebellious Israelites who chose a golden calf over Him. This battle between what is real and what is artificial has been raging long before AI came into existence. It is as old as the battle between good and evil. God is the author of light and of life and of all that is real, which He created. Enter satan, the deceiver, the counterfeiter, the one whose only option is to attempt to copy God’s original work. In Corinthians we read this about satan –

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

Masquerading. That says it all, doesn’t it? Pretending, deceiving, impersonating. Today, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between what is real and what is artificial. Take counterfeit money and real money, for example. It’s often hard to tell the difference. But one has value in that you can buy needed stuff with it, the other has no real value but could land you in jail. With money, it is important to be able to discern the difference between what is real and what is fake or counterfeit.

How about artificial plants and flowers? It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between the real and the artificial from a distance. Ever wonder why the artificial is so popular? Could it be that artificial plants need no care, therefore nothing is required of me or of you? I don’t have to water artificial plants. They don’t grow, so I don’t have to prune them or repot them into bigger pots. I don’t have to clean up their dead leaves. I don’t have to interact with artificial plants or flowers at all.

Artificial requires nothing from you and me, no relationship, no care. Of course, artificial plants and flowers produce no food for us to eat or pollen for bees to gather to make honey or lovely flower fragrances. We have a symbiotic relationship with real plants – we take care of them and they produce food for us to eat. In this case, artificial just isn’t able to provide a relationship or a relationship’s life-giving results.

But what if I mistake the artificial for the real? What if I water my artificial plants in hopes that they will grow and prosper and produce food? I am going to be very disappointed. No matter how often or how much I water my artificial plants, they will never grow bigger, they will never bloom or produce food. Artificial plants can’t produce anything. They are not alive. They will not grow and bloom and reproduce like real plants do, no matter how diligently I care for them.

I wonder if the Israelites ever figured this out with the golden calf that they made and then proceeded to worship? Did they not notice that the calf they were bowing down to and sacrificing to remained unmoved and unresponsive to even their most fervent gestures? God, Himself, said this to Moses about the Israelites –

“They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ ” (Exodus 32:8)

Are you kidding me? What short memories the Israelites had! Had they forgotten their daily miracle manna or the water from the rock? They clearly had forgotten this commandment of God –

“You shall have no other gods before Me. . . . Do not make any gods to be alongside Me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.” (Exodus 20:3 & 23)

Why would they trade in the living for the non-living? the real for the artificial? the divine for the man-made? Of course, with the calf they were in control, they made the rules. The calf didn’t have commandments or rules like their living Creator God did. There was no discipline from the calf for their wayward actions. The calf also offered them no protection nor provision nor guidance nor wisdom nor purpose nor life. They were pretty much on their own with the calf as their object of worship. However, this artificial idol would never satisfy their innate longing to be in relationship with their loving Creator.

Time and again God would draw them back to Himself and time and again they would turn to other things in place of the very real and living Heavenly Father who was right there with them. How often do I do that today? How often do I substitute the artificial for the real? Cyberspace and AI make it increasingly easy to do just that. Artificial is much easier to control than real. Real people are unpredictable and multi-faceted. Artificial is predictable, controllable – man made it, man controls it.

BUT – I want the real adventure of walking with my real Heavenly Father rather than giving my attention and allegiance to artificial things of my own invention. Being in a relationship with my Creator requires of me trust, submission, obedience, courage – lots of courage to follow where He leads because it is almost always counter cultural and not what my human nature would choose. That’s where trust and courage come in handy.

Something else just occurred to me. That real life is painful – joyful but also painful. If I deal only with the artificial, there is no pain (ie. artificial plants never die) but there is also no joy.

Oh Lord, I don’t want to waste my time building and bowing down to artificial golden calves of my own making, when I could be walking with and worshiping You, the only real and living God.

“I am the Lord; that is My name! I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols. . . . This is what God the Lord says – He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” (Isaiah 42:8 & 5-7)

sincerely, Grace Day

does AI really know?

Posted on by Grace Day

I have some concerns about artificial intelligence. Today, I came face to face with these concerns in the car wash. Yes, you read that correctly. It was in the car wash that I was confronted with one of the many facets of AI, all of which I try to avoid if possible. I mean, just the name should be a red flag, right? “Artificial intelligence” as opposed to real or genuine intelligence. Since when do we prefer artificial anything over the real version of that same thing?

Coca-Cola was marketed as “the real thing.” Phrases such as “keeping it real” or “get real” or “he’s the real deal” are popular for a reason. Chefs prefer and use real ingredients over artificial substitutes. In the world of fashion, only the real thing is of value. Imposters or copycats of designer footwear, handbags and clothing are called knockoffs. They are mere imitations of the real thing and have no value of their own. We can have real relationships in person but online it is hard to know if we are communicating with a real person or if we are chatting with AI. Can “artificial” aka “fake” people really satisfy our need for connection and community? I think not. But back to my car wash experience.

I am driving a new car which has many features that my old car of many years did not have. Just fyi – I was happy with my old car, but it gave out. So my new car and I are going through the car wash and my car becomes alarmed, thinking I am too close to the car in front of me as we move forward through the wash. My car starts beeping, signaling me that I am in danger because I am too close to the car in front of me. But there is nothing I can do. Once my car is on that conveyor belt like thing, it is put in neutral, and I have no control over our progress as we proceed through the wash. Every time we would move forward, my car would panic and start beeping frantically, assuming we were going to hit the car in front of us. I guess my car didn’t know that the car in front of us was moving forward at the exact same speed as we were moving forward.

I and my car were in no danger, but my car did not know this was the case. I attempted to reassure her, but to no avail. After all, my car’s intelligence is “artificial” not “real.” I can’t reason with her or point out to her that we are not out on the road but in a car wash. We are not on a collision course but riding on a conveyor belt for cars. My car has no wisdom or understanding or adaptability. She has only pre-programed instructions for how to interpret the world around her. I guess I should be glad her windshield wipers didn’t start up automatically in the car wash because she thought it was raining. Her wipers would have gotten entangled with those car wash tentacles that come down out of nowhere and clean your windshield.

At any rate, I was relieved when we finally exited the carwash and my car’s frantic beeping ceased. Now I’m wondering – is this what will happen every time I take my car through the car wash? She has no “real” intelligence, no ability to learn or to change behavior based on past experiences, no memory. I don’t think I can ask the car wash workers to allow an empty space between me and the car ahead. That would not be good for their business, as the lines are usually long and they need to keep cars moving to get as many people through the wash as possible during their hours of operation.

I must resign myself to the fact that my car’s intelligence is “artificial.” My car is not going to learn new behaviors, nor is she going to listen to reason or be able to “read the room” and adjust her behavior accordingly. She will do only what she’s programed to do – nothing extra or spontaneous. Maybe that’s the draw of AI, its predictability. But I like the spontaneity, flexibility, adaptability, tenacity, courage, kindness and humor of real people. You just can’t get any of that with “artificial” intelligence or pretend people. And why do we even call it “intelligence”? Isn’t intelligence the ability to learn and grow and change as we interact with those around us in meaningful ways?

But you know, even in Old Testament times, people preferred the artificial to the real. Remember the Israelites? Their very real, living God led them out of slavery in Egypt into a land He had promised to them. God parted the Red Sea right in front of their eyes. He traveled with them through the wilderness in a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day. The fire lit their way at night, the cloud protected them from the hot sun by day. And yet, first chance they got, while Moses was up on the mountain, the Israelites made a golden calf for themselves and proceeded to worship it. Why?

God was and is real. The calf was artificial. It was man made. It was not alive. That golden calf could not hear them or see them. It could not watch over them or care for them. In fact, the calf didn’t care about them at all. They couldn’t have a relationship with the calf like they had with their Heavenly Father, Creator God – a living God who knew them by name and watched over them faithfully. Why would they trade in that very real relationship for one-sided worship of a lifeless statue they made themselves? Who gives up a real relationship with a living Being only to replace it with a non-living statue substitute? Who prefers the artificial to the real?

Apparently sometimes we real humans do. We prefer the unreal – aka – the artificial to the real thing. Why? Is it because we think this gives us control? Interacting with a golden calf, or any man-made statue or object for that matter, provides no surprises and puts us in charge. The inanimate object cannot challenge its maker or do anything on its own. Actually, “interacting” is too strong a word. An inanimate object provides no reciprocity. It does not “interact” with anything or anyone. It is not capable of forming relationships because it is not alive.

But just as today we are dealing with man-made AI, our ancestors, centuries before us, dealt with their own artificial inventions, much to their detriment. We read about how this played out in Romans –

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1:21-23)

The result of their decision?

“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25)

They exchanged truth for lies, a relationship with a Living God for worship of an inanimate object – a statue that couldn’t talk back or reciprocate their feelings in any way. They exchanged the real for the artificial. And it left a void that needed to be filled. We continue to try to fill that void today with things of our own making BUT – nothing we make for ourselves, nothing artificial, can ever fill that space in us which is designed specifically for our Creator to inhabit. Only the real thing will do. My Heavenly Father is the real thing.

“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (‘Ecclesiastes 3:11)

My heart longs for the real thing and will be satisfied with nothing less. God has made it clear there are no substitutes for Himself.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say; My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:3)

“It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.” (Isaiah 45:12)

there is no substitute for the real thing – I don’t want the artificial/man-made version of anything – I want the real thing – we all do and that’s what our Heavenly Father wants to give us – something real and lasting – a reconciled relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus, who said as much when He said –

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

I don’t fully trust AI – but then it’s not real – it’s artificial. It’s man made. I desire only what is real, what is eternal.

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2)

“O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)

no artificial substitutes will do

sincerely, Grace Day