There are few topics as interesting and exciting as the ethics of Artificial Intelligence. And there are few topics as difficult for the lay person to understand. The following is a brief discussion guide to help congregations think through the issues presented in this edition of JLE.
[1] What is your philosophy of technology?
- Have each participant consider their emotions around technology. Do they love hearing about and using new technology or do they feel immediate fear? How do our emotional responses help us or harm us when we try to think ethically? For example, if we are really excited to play with a new tool that pops up on the screen, will we take the time to learn how that tool is changing the way we work and interact with others? If we are terrified of our own inability to learn a new skill, might we refrain from thinking deeply about how such a tool might help our neighbors?
- Have each participant consider their thoughts about world resources.
Sutton uses a famous example to help us think about how we view technology and the world. He writes,
“Heidegger offers an example when he compares a lumberjack and his grandfather walking through the same woods: ‘The forester who, in the wood, measures the felled timber and to all appearances walks the same forest path in the same way as did his grandfather is today commanded by profit-making in the lumber industry, whether he knows it or not.’ Though it is the exact same forest, the grandfather walked through it as a forest not as standing reserve ready to become newspapers and illustrated magazines.”
When you think about water, trees, and land do you think about them as resources for generating money or other new tools or do you think of them as objects in themselves which you enjoy? When you think about new tools in AI do you think about them as adding to the fullness of your life or do you think about them as agents of use or profit? How does each frame change how you approach the world and your own purpose in it?
[2] Looking into the Mirror of AI: What are our Values? How do we implement them?
- After reading Rodriguez’s article on the creation and abuse of AI girlfriends and deepfake porn, what are your immediate reactions emotionally and rationally?
- Considering that it is now possible for young men to interact only with women of their own creation, how will we teach men and women to interact respectfully in real life?
- How might we create AI tools that teach that respectful interaction?
[3] What other kinds of questions came as up as participants read the articles this month? Have an open discussion on what was new and surprising, what was concerning, and what was exciting and hopeful.
