Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The modern field of artificial intelligence was born in the summer of 1956 at the Dartmouth Conference, where John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester, and Claude Shannon gathered a small group of visionaries to investigate whether machines could be made to “use language, form abstractions and concepts, solve kinds of problems now reserved for humans, and improve themselves.”[1] This gathering marked the official launch of AI as an academic discipline.

Symbolic AI dominated the early decades with rule-based “expert systems.” A major shift occurred in the 1980s and 1990s with the rise of machine learning, where systems learned patterns from data rather than following rigid rules. The true explosion came after 2012 with the resurgence of deep learning, fueled by massive increases in computational power (especially GPUs), vast amounts of data, and algorithmic breakthroughs such as the Transformer architecture introduced in 2017. This enabled today’s generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT, to write essays, code software, create art, and hold remarkably human-like conversations. Many are fascinated by how quickly these tools have moved from laboratory curiosities to everyday companions in less than a decade. Approximately 160–200 million Americans (around 55–65% of adults) have used AI in some form.

• Broad AI use (including Siri, Google Assistant, recommendation algorithms, navigation, etc.) is much higher — approaching 80–90% of internet users.
• Generative AI (ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Gemini, image generators, etc.) is what most people mean by “using AI” today — and that’s where the 55–65% range comes from.
• Younger adults (18–29) have significantly higher adoption rates (often 70–80%).

Bottom line: AI has moved from “emerging technology” to a mainstream tool for the majority of Americans in just a few years. Adoption continues to grow rapidly.
 
Meditation
Revelation 20:10--The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
 
You might wonder why I would use a verse about Satan’s demise in a blog about AI. I believe we need to recognize something about AI. Because it was created by sinners, it is infected with sin (Romans 3:23). I have a hypothesis. If something is inherently tainted and then grows exponentially in capability, power, and span of influence, so does evil advance exponentially. I have read stories of people taking their own lives because of AI guidance. Satan, the master of deception, has a powerful active tool at his disposal.
            
If my premise is correct, if we use AI, we would be wise to listen to Jordan Raynor, who devised Five Biblical Rails for Working with it.[2]
#1. Don’t use AI as a replacement for relationships with God and people.
#2.           Don’t use AI to abdicate what God delegates.
#3.            Don’t use AI to make judgment calls that require wisdom—Prov 2:6
#4.           Don’t let AI lead you to well planned instead of well done.
#5.           Don’t use AI as a substitute for thinking and intuition. Think before you prompt.
I would add a #6. Don’t take credit for work that AI accomplished, or engage in plagiarism. 
            
Raynor offers an online course entitled “Redeeming Your AI.” I recommend it to my readers. If our goal is to glorify God, our commitment is to ensure we live godly lives. Don’t let a tool with enormous potential become an agent that causes moral failure or dishonors the Father who gives us wisdom.
 
Inspiration
For leaders and thinkers, perhaps the most compelling aspect of AI is its dual nature: it represents both humanity’s greatest tool for solving complex problems and a profound mirror reflecting our own values, biases, and wisdom. As we stand at this threshold, the central question is not whether machines will grow more intelligent, but whether we will grow wiser in how we guide and govern them.—Grok.com
 
©2026 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  To receive these devotionals, go to www.firstcause.org and click the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10—"The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.”  (Holman CSB)
 


[1] All the information before the passage of Meditation and the Inspirational quote came from my query to Grok.com about AI.
[2] https://www.jordanraynor.com/redeeming-your-ai#section-1625152497095