Faith, Dignity, and Human Flourishing: Hearing God’s Voice in an Age of Artificial Intelligence

Summary

Elder Gerrit W. Gong argues that AI can be useful, but it should not replace spiritual guidance, human judgment, meaningful relationships, personal effort, or direct experience of the natural world. He encourages people to use AI intentionally and in ways that uphold human dignity, agency, learning, and connection.

Practical guideposts for using AI

• Rely on the Spirit: Let technology support—not replace—prayer, revelation, personal study, and spiritual preparation.
• Practice wisdom: Use judgment informed by beliefs, values, and lived experience.
• Choose trusted sources: Ground important understanding in scripture, religious counsel, and reliable information.
• Let AI inform, but decide for yourself: Keep humans involved, especially in consequential choices. Don’t let algorithms define your identity or priorities.
• Use AI as a tool, not a substitute: It can help with research, editing, translation, planning, tutoring, and logistics. Be alert to inaccuracies, bias, privacy risks, and the possibility of over-relying on it.

Learning, work, and productivity

• Treat effort as part of learning and personal growth. AI can tutor or deepen understanding, but having it do assignments for you may reduce learning and encourage dependence or dishonesty.
• Be transparent about AI’s contribution; don’t claim its work as your own.
• In spiritual settings, Gong advises letting personal preparation and testimony lead rather than having AI write talks, lessons, or assignments.
• Use AI to make tasks easier when appropriate, while protecting the work that helps you stretch, learn, and develop.
• Set personal guidelines for AI use and periodically consider where it helps—and where it may limit—your learning, choices, and relationships.

Relationships and emotional well-being

• Prioritize genuine conversation and time with people. AI chatbots are not a substitute for friends, family, trusted leaders, or mutual human care.
• If you find yourself confiding in a chatbot more than in people who know and care about you, reach out to someone in your life.
• Don’t let anyone feel that a chatbot listens or cares more than the people around them should.
• Use technology to help with practical tasks—such as scheduling, translation, or planning activities—then spend your best energy with people.
• Gong suggests sending a thoughtful message in your own words or visiting a family member, friend, roommate, or neighbor.

Rest, screen habits, and time outdoors

• Notice whether screen use is crowding out relationships, activities, or time for reflection. Silence notifications and put devices away during meaningful time together or outdoors.
• Make time to be in nature, slow down, and attend to ordinary sensory experiences. Gong recommends activities such as hiking, gardening, watering a plant, stargazing, or simply observing the natural world.
• Use AI to find hikes, identify plants, or suggest activities if helpful—but let the real experience happen offline.
• Gong presents time in nature as a way to restore calm, perspective, gratitude, and attention.
• Make deliberate room for quiet and reflection rather than filling every moment with artificial stimulation.

Reflection and closing practices

Gong proposes these exercises:

• Write “Artificial Intelligence” at the top of a page, then list potential opportunities and challenges. Consider how AI could affect your learning, organization, connections, choices, and relationships.
• Write down three identity statements—a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ—and put them somewhere visible as reminders of personal worth and purpose.
• Set guidelines for AI use so it does not interfere with your relationship with God or with people.
• Spend meaningful time in nature, silence notifications, and offer gratitude for the natural world.

Overall, Gong’s message is to use AI in ways that strengthen rather than diminish human agency, learning, relationships, faith, and care for the environment.

Presenters and sources

• Presenter: Elder Gerrit W. Gong
• Religious and ethical references: Genesis; restoration scripture; the Vatican statement Antiqua et Nova; Jewish tradition and Midrash; an Islamic perspective on the Adamic covenant; Hopi tradition concerning Maasaw and stewardship of the earth.
• Other named references: Victor Hugo, Marilynne Robinson, E. B. White, John Muir, and W. B. Yeats.
• Historical examples discussed: Deep Blue and Garry Kasparov; IBM Watson and Ken Jennings; AlphaGo and Go champion Jie.