Living Between One Pole to Another

Dear COAH, 

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is developing rapidly and is being applied in many fields. Cars without drivers have already appeared, and smart factories with full automation from production to assembly and packaging are operating. From these factories, products like shoes and motorcycles are made. Of course, we cannot forget that IT giants like Google and Apple rely on artificial intelligence for their operations. In recent months, an app that writes a thesis or a novel by itself just by throwing a topic has been developed and is drawing explosive attention from people. Now, the question arises: can humans live without artificial intelligence?

As the era of artificial intelligence dawns, changes are inevitable. (Talk about change, just 20 years ago, Kodak or Fuji films were household names. Today they are almost obsolete.) If AI can replace any job, it will do so without remorse. AI will make our lives easier in many ways, but at the same time, various problems will arise. For example, who will bear moral responsibility for the decisions AI makes?  

We live from one pole to another. I sensed that this week when, somehow, two topics came to my attention simultaneously: AI and the massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. While AI makes our lives greatly more convenient, earthquakes and other natural disasters remind us of our finitude and frailty. Did you see the live footage of a reporter reporting on the earthquake and an entire apartment building collapsing in the background? Artificial intelligence may make us believe that we are on top of everything. But it only takes one massive earthquake to realize we are but dust. By the way, the power of Turkey’s 7.8 scale earthquake is 32 times stronger than the atomic bomb that landed on Hiroshima.  

What should be our mindset in times like this? We as believers must live humbly every day, every hour, every minute, under the mighty hand of God the Creator. We must confess that, without His mercy and grace, we are reduced to ashes, no matter how advanced our technology may be. Our only hope is in Jesus Christ, who forgives our sins and brings peace to our broken and divided world.

Blessings,

Pastor Minho Song