April 22, 2024

We’ve worshipped much less


The ancient Egyptians of Musa’s time dealt heavily in magic. Magicians were of the most prominent people in society and when Pharaoh wanted to defeat Musa, peace be upon him, he called on the top magicians to do so.

The job of a magician is to fool people. The best of magicians do so seamlessly and it takes a special few to decipher truth from falsehood. For some reason many tech giants are racing to use technology in the same way, the marker for greatness in the world of AI seems to be, ‘How well can we fool people?’. Emily Bender, a linguist, suggests that in the hype over AI technology, we’re not making crucial inquiries, “We could say, ‘Hey, look, this is technology that encourages people to interpret it as if there were an agent in there with ideas and thoughts and credibility and stuff like that.’” Why is the tech designed like this? Why try to make users believe the bot has intention, that it’s like us?” (1)

We’re impressed by the abilities of new technologies while not considering the intentions of the creators behind them. What did the magicians want from Pharaoh? Power, prestige, money —When the magicians came to Pharaoh, they asked him, “Shall we have a ˹suitable˺ reward if we prevail?” He replied, “Yes, and you will then certainly be among those closest to me.” (26:41-42) And what did the Pharaoh desire by using the magicians? Solidifying his power and keeping the people away from Musa, truth, and God Almighty… Read more.

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Related:

  1. Space and Technology, https://bythefigandtheolive.com/spacetechnology/
  2. Instagram and Marriage Stability https://bythefigandtheolive.com/marriagestability/
  3. ChatGPT is a problem https://bythefigandtheolive.com/chatgptisaproblem/

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Interested in understanding more about technology’s effect on our faith and relationships? Check out my course, Technology and Faith. Course Description: Technology both aids us in our important work and distracts us from it. It connects us to our loved ones far away while keeping us distant from those closest to us. It aids us on our spiritual path and serves as our biggest roadblock. Sign up here.

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