I am really getting tired of all the speculative bruhaha concerning A.I. I. I. I. Me. Me. Me. What about A.US? Collectively, we are greater than the sum of our parts. If A.I. is such a threat, the only feasible solution is a coming together of A.US. The “we” can only stand up against the perils and threats of the “I.”

Okay, done talking nonsense… or is it? Just this past week it seems that politicians and lawmakers are finally taking seriously the potential problems associated with a technology seemingly smarter than those who invented it. Certainly, there is great possibility for good with A.I., enabling certain accomplishments impossible without it, but that is the minority report. History shows that even the most positive and productive tool can be weaponized by unscrupulous, greedy, ignorant (not stupid – some of these villains are evil geniuses after all), unstable, merciless, and generally nefarious individuals. Just look at the ways infantile narcissistic bullies already manipulate A.I. generated memes to mock, insult, attack, demean, discredit, slander, abuse, and disrespect those they dislike. A.I. in the hands of degenerative, destructive, hostile, and hateful people will NOT be a good thing – and these folks seem to be the ones exploiting this emerging frontier.

Even staunch traditional Republicans dedicated to small government and limited federal regulation are jumping on board, calling for limits and standards, with accountability and recourse to abuses. Not all, but some. More and more people globally are awakening to the Frankenstein’s monster potentiality of A.I. But if we, especially in the United States, stand firm in our individuality and privileged entitlement, we are sitting ducks. This is one place where the Christian church could step in, step up, speak out, and perhaps provide an alternative.

Whether we like it or not, the ancient Hebrew faith, the emergent Judaism, and the fledgling Christian movement were all communal and collective faiths. The “we/us” always superseded the “I/me.” Beyond surviving, thriving depended on tribes/communities/nations banding together to defeat common enemies and avoid annihilation. The “you” in most of the teachings in Jesus, Paul, James, and John was plural; y’all, and often, all y’all. Individualism wasn’t denied, but it simply worked against the survival of the species and undermined the common good. Interdependency was viewed as superior to independence. Synergy prevailed and everyone understood that together we are greater than the sum of our parts. The Christian faith could not have survived and proliferated if everyone had adopted our modern “me and my personal Lord and Savior buddy Jesus” mentality. No one person (other than Jesus) constitutes the body of Christ all by themselves. We need each other. We benefit from each other. Our strength is in connection. Our power is in unity. The world has forgotten this. Couldn’t the church remind it?

We should be hosting global forums on the ethical and acceptable uses of A.I., right now, before it is too late. Throughout history, science and technology has been challenged with the simple question, “just because we can do something, does that mean we should do it?” This is actually the same question at the heart of our faith and understanding of God’s will for all our lives. Denying that which is harmful, destructive, dangerous and dehumanizing is kind of at the core of repentance. That which deceives, denigrates, disrespects, degrades, destroys, and debilitates should not be readily embraced nor ignored.

Our beautiful minds are an incredibly precious gift from God. They are given that we might maximize their potential to generate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), mercy, justice, humility (Micah 6:8), compassion, wisdom, gratitude, forgiveness, and harmony (Colossians 3:12-17). Our minds were not intended for selfish aggrandizement of power, wealth, and prestige, and they were certainly not given that we might abandon them to soulless tech and abdicate our responsibility to personal agency and the common good.

We need A.US. to teach A.I. a lesson. We will never be reduced to a mindless rabble gullibly snarfing down information and images created solely to dehumanize and destroy. We are better than that. We are faced with a monumental crossroads; the direction we choose now will shape our future, and our Christian witness demands that we call for the most human and humane path forward.