The Peril of Deifying AI

“In the optimistic vision of many people, artificial intelligence will make us like gods,” opined A. G. Elrod in a Christianity Today article entitled “The Silicon Calf.’

Elrod’s analogy in the title is reminiscent of Israel’s restlessness and uncertainty during Moses’s absence on Mount Sinai, when it received the 10 commandments. Their impatience led them to plead with Aaron to fashion a god they could see. Incredibly, they said, “Come, make us a good man who will go before us. As a result, the golden calf was made and was being worshiped as Moses descended from the Mountain.

We wonder how they could have already forgotten God’s providential care. The 10 plagues Jehovah wrought upon the Egyptians. Their firstborn being spared. The miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. Yet, they had a tangible, shining god they could see.

Human nature being what it is, it’s not surprising the apostle Paul warned first-century Christians not to be like them and succumb to the sin of idolatry (1 Cor. 10:7). Of course, idolatry takes many forms. In modern-day America, it may be money, power, position, prestige, or pleasure. Elrod suggests the new “god” is AI (artificial intelligence).

If that seems like hyperbole, listen to AGI enthusiasts’ own words. Last November, Masayoshi Son (CEO, SoftBank) said, “Artificial super intelligence will evolve into Super Wisdom and contribute to the happiness of all humanity.”

In October of 2024, Demis Hassabis (CEO, Google DeepMind) predicted that AGI will emerge within ten years and, among other fantastical things, will “cure all diseases.” In January, he upgraded this projection to five years.

Also in January, Sam Altman (CEO, OpenAI) spoke of his company’s contribution to “the glorious future.”

These and other quotes from various proponents of Artificial Intelligence ascribe to AI an almost God-like intelligence, wisdom, and omniscience. While we may use AI for research, we must remember it is not infallible, nor is it our moral authority. Our advanced technological age offers many advantages, but nothing can replace Almighty God.

History records ancient civilizations worshipping objects they carved and created from wood and stone. Among the moral code of the Ten Commandments is a fundamental truth in Exodus 20:3-5

You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them…”

In demonstrating the absurdity of man making his own god, the prophet Isaiah described it this way in vivid terms.

“He cuts down cedars…
Half of the wood he burns in the fire.
Over it, he prepares his meal…
From the rest, he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says, ‘Save me; you are my god.’
They know nothing, they understand nothing…”
(Isa. 44:9-20)

Our age is not unlike the Gentile world Paul described, who “exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). AI is the product of human creation.

Ironically, I asked ChatGPT about the dangers of making AI our god. Here was the response.

There are also profound moral dangers in such misplaced faith. If AI becomes an ultimate authority, who defines what is right or wrong? Algorithms reflect the values and biases of their designers. An AI trained on corrupt data can make corrupt decisions—yet people might obey it unquestioningly, believing “the machine knows best.” This blind trust could erode human conscience, moral reasoning, and personal responsibility.

Moreover, dependence on AI as a kind of god undermines the spiritual truth of human dignity. Scripture teaches that people are made in the image of God, not machines. When we begin to look to AI for meaning, morality, and identity, we risk losing sight of what makes us truly human—our capacity for love, faith, and relationship with the divine.

To paraphrase an old adage about the danger of worshiping money, “Technology can be a marvelous servant, but it is a terrible master.”

As we navigate the world of AI, let’s be careful not to rely on it instead of God and His revealed Word. True wisdom is found in worship of the Creator, not the thing which we have created.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman