Much has been said and written about AI, whether praising or demonizing it. Call me a fatalist, but I think it’s here to stay. So, whether we think it’s a godsend, a god, or demonic, we’re going to have to get somewhat used to it. Everyone around us is already beginning to immerse themselves in it, and we’re starting to see some sad consequences (“People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies”).
I admit I use AI several times a week since it’s built into the Brave Browser (though, don’t worry, I’ve never used it to write or assist in composing any of my articles). Quite frankly, it’s easier to quickly review a summary of a few websites rather than dig through each one to find the information that I need. Especially if it’s something mundane. However, I think this ease is coming at a cost.
It Began with the Smartphone
In 2014, I got my first smartphone. In the years that followed, I quickly noticed a sharp decline in my ability to pay attention. Before I had kids, a smartphone, and parishioners to attend to, I would read for hours a day. My attention span was great! But after 2014, that began to change. I noticed I would frequently think about things I posted or someone else posted on social media or I’d want to check my email. In short, I found any excuse necessary to frequently interrupt my reading so that I could check my phone.
So, the smartphone costs me the ability to concentrate for extended periods. What did I receive in exchange? Feeling “connected” no matter where I went… but is that even true? And has my life improved?
Playing in the Shallows
AI is doing something similar to us. It’s robbing us of the ability to think and read deeply. Now, if I want to know what St. Gregory of Nyssa’s primary theological points were in The Life of Moses, all I have to do is ask an AI bot. I can even ask it to provide me with some pertinent quotes so that it looks like I read the book.
I experimented with Grok 3 recently, and it was so impressive that I found it unsettling. Why unsettling? Because it tempts me to not dig into books. It tempts me to replace wisdom with an assortment of facts.
When we engage with a good book, when we wrestle through the pages, when we try to enter into a different mental framework than our own, something inside of us changes. We experience a mini-transformation that can’t be acquired by reading a synopsis of a book. When the author is both saintly and highly intelligent, the transformation can be powerful.
But when we rely on AI, we get fed facts, we get a light splashing from the shallows of wisdom. But why limit ourselves to the shallows when the depths are available? Yes, reading a book costs time and effort, sometimes a great deal of effort. But the potential mental, psychological, and spiritual growth all make it worthwhile.
Losing Creativity
Another problem is that we not only become dumber but also less creative. Both art and writing are excellent examples of what we’re losing to AI. Since I’m no artist but I am an author, I’ll briefly discuss why we shouldn’t outsource our writing to an AI bot.
Some companies boast that their AI can produce blogs, articles, etc. But the act of writing is a learning experience. There are countless times that I have come to know something far more deeply by having to write about it. Additionally, there are numerous articles I have started to write (for this site and for other purposes) that I have abandoned. The reason? Writing out my thoughts helped me see that I don’t know a topic as well as I thought I did, or even that my entire premise was wrong and it wasn’t worth sharing.
The hard work of writing and editing cultivates and sharpens our minds. Doing our own research is much the same. While we can use AI to point us to good sources, the transformation that happens when we wrestle through these books is irreplaceable.
So, as AI becomes more ubiquitous and more convincing, let’s be careful not to replace the hard work of becoming wiser with the convenience of gathering facts. While I’ve seen some impressive responses from AI bots, none of it has been life-changing. Growth has only come through wrestling (and sometimes suffering) through something worthwhile. May God bless and guide us!