Can something “artificial” lead to human flourishing? At the recent OneAccord conference in North Carolina (presented by the Accord Network), we explored how we, as Christian relief and development leaders, can respond to the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We benefited from learning from our panelists, including our very own Eric Sowers, Richard Zhang (Google Deepmind), Doris Suzuki Esmerio (World Vision contractor), and Micha Voraritskul (Verified Human).
To begin the session, we asked the audience (about 50 in attendance from a variety of NGOs) how they felt about AI.
We prefaced the panel session by grounding our conversation with the ancient concept of “Christian prudence.” In the middle of all the hype and hysteria around AI, we want to approach the topic with wisdom, inspired by our faith. Prudence allows us to see AI for what it truly is, with hope and without fear.
We used this simple definition of AI to focus our conversation:
AI Definition: A man-made cognitive system that appears real with the ability to solve problems across multiple domains
Eric shared concepts of how AI, especially applied with an integrated CRM like Salesforce, can allow us to anticipate and create a seamless experience for donors across various functions such as finance, communications, and programs. Doris shared how World Vision is using AI to increase efficiency across the program lifecycle, from initial community assessments to outcome reporting and MEL analysis. Micah, drawing on his experience as a missionary and pastor, shared how God is a god of language and creativity. Recent advancements in AI, especially large language models (LLMs) are not a surprise to God and can be used for furthering human flourishing.
Finally, we learned from Dr. Richard Zhang, Research Engineer with Google DeepMind, as he shared about their latest developments, challenges, and limitations of the technology. Ultimately, we discussed how AI is not the same as wisdom – that God’s “divine wisdom” is greater than artificial intelligence. Richard and other Christian leaders in the field of AI are encouraging prayer and involvement in the future of AI development. Richard said (quoting Deuteronomy), “As Christians we are called to be the head and not the tail.” We can therefore take a leading role in crafting AI to be beneficial for human flourishing.