“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” – Luke 12:2-3
One day I had become so sick of the he-said-she-said of the media, with every story being “fact checked” and every source labeled a liar, I asked, “Alexa, do fact checkers tell the truth?”
After a long pause, “Alexa” just shut down.
Just as I thought.
More recently, my husband Marty was asking me what the best antihistamine was for a constant cough. Having never thought of antihistamines in the context of a cough, I said I didn’t know. I suggested he “google” it. He typed in the search bar, “best an…” and his phone finished the phrase for him, “… tihistamine for cough.”
Creepy.
It would seem that there is no such thing as privacy anymore, at least not when there are “devices” around, and in the modern American lifestyle, there usually are.
The latest development, artificial intelligence, “AI,” has made evident some terrifying implications.
AI can make it appear a leader says things (s)he never said, and such deception can start protests, riots, even wars. (Where are those fact checkers when we need them?)
On a more personal level, the same kind of technology can make an innocent “significant other” look guilty and cause a breakup or divorce. It can even use a child’s voice for extortion from a parent. A woman recently testified that she had received a phone call in which she heard her daughter’s voice sobbing and pleading desperately for help. A man’s voice came on, telling her he had her daughter and started making demands.
It’s hard to fathom what kind of cruelty would subject a spouse, fiancé, or parent to this kind of torture, but sadly, nothing should surprise us lately. The Bible says the human heart is “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). And of course, Satan, whose evil knows no bounds, has been unleashed in these last days.
Humanly speaking, we can’t control the masses. Prayer is the only weapon we have against the powers that try to manipulate the nations. On the other hand, it is the most powerful weapon on the planet! Use it daily.
On the more personal level, I have some additional suggestions that might save your family from AI-caused disaster.
Have a password or phrase that only you and your spouse or you and your child know. If, God forbid, you get one of those phone calls and the person on the other end of the phone doesn’t use that word or phrase, it’s not your loved one. Period.
CAUTION: Make sure that word isn’t one you have ever used for anything else. If possible, make it something obscure, or that isn’t even a real word. And when you discuss what that word or phrase will be, make sure there are NO devices around, even ones that are (allegedly) turned off. Take a walk in the woods or out in field with empty pockets, and whisper.
Paranoid? Perhaps, but better to be paranoid and safe. Nothing is more precious than your loved ones.
Regarding the passage of Scripture quoted above, while this seems to predict the present-day AI phenomenon (and it’s true, nothing surprises God.), ever since the creation of Man, whatever we say – or even think – there has been One who hears and knows. It has always been wise to live our lives as if none of our words, deeds, and thoughts were really “private.” The big difference now is that the God who knows us inside and out loves us and wants the best for us.
AI, on the other hand does not have our best interest at heart – AI has no heart.
“Therefore be as wise as snakes, and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16
Prayer: Lord God, You are the only God. You alone know all things – what we do, what we say, even the intents of our hearts. We know there are those who are Your enemies and would try to usurp Your power over Your people. Keep us in the hollow of Your hand. Help us to be both wise as serpents and innocent as doves. For we are YOUR people, the sheep of YOUR pasture. Faithful Shepherd, we love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.