Artificial Intelligence “ChatGPT” Showcases Its Adventist Knowledge
7 December 2022 |
November 30, 2022 marked the release of an artificial intelligence (AI) prototype called ChatGPT which has surged in popularity for its ability to answer complex questions and produce detailed, human-like content. It is the latest evolution of the GPT – or Generative Pre-Trained Transformer – a language model that can create new content based on input content called “Training Data.”
An article in Vox explains its inner workings:
At its core, the technology is based on a type of artificial intelligence called a language model, a prediction system that essentially guesses what it should write, based on previous texts it has processed. GPT was built by training its AI with an extraordinarily large amount of data, much of which comes from the vast supply of data on the internet, along with billions of dollars, including initial funding from several prominent tech billionaires, including Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. ChatGPT was also trained on examples of back-and-forth human conversation, which helps it make its dialogue sound a lot more human, as a blog post published by OpenAI explains.
Over the last week, humans have been testing the bot and enjoying the kinds of things it can produce. It has been directed “to make jokes, write TV episodes, compose music, and even debug computer code.” “Most notably,” according to Forbes, “ChatGPT has been able to generate intricate Python code and write college-level essays when given a prompt.” This has raised concerns about students’ using ChatGPT for homework assignments, as it has even surpassed filters on Turnitin.com, a popular academic tool for anti-plagiarism.
One post on Twitter by a man named Thomas H. Ptacek gained popularity when he prompted ChatGPT to “write a biblical verse in the style of the king james bible explaining how to remove a peanut butter sandwich from a VCR.”
An Adventist pastor from the Oklahoma Conference, Wes Via, recently joined the trend by prompting ChatGPT to “write a 1000 word sermon on Revelation 14:7 from an SDA perspective.” He was surprised that it delivered a remarkably theologically accurate sermon. (See full sermon below.)
According to The Guardian, “there has been speculation that professions dependent upon content production could be rendered obsolete, including everything from playwrights and professors to programmers and journalists…. However at its current stage, the chatbot lacks the nuance, critical-thinking skills or ethical decision-making ability that are essential” for this.
In response to criticism that ChatGPT sometimes gets answers wrong or presents misinformation as fact, OpenAI concedes that “fixing this issue is difficult because there is no source of truth in the data they use to train the model.”
(Read Wes Via’s ChatGPT sermon in full below)
Wes: “This is what I got!! My mind is so blown right now!”
- In Revelation 14:7, we are given a powerful and sobering message: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
- As Seventh-day Adventists, this verse speaks to the core of our beliefs and convictions. We believe that the hour of God’s judgment is near and that it is our duty to fear Him and give Him glory.
- But what does it mean to fear God? Does it mean that we should be afraid of Him, like we would be afraid of a monster in a horror movie? No, the fear of God is not a fear of punishment or terror. It is a reverence and awe of His majesty and power. It is a recognition of who He is and what He has done for us.
- To fear God is to worship Him. It is to acknowledge Him as the creator of the universe and the one who holds all things in His hands. It is to submit to His authority and follow His commands. It is to trust in His goodness and love, even when we don’t understand His ways.
- This is a crucial aspect of our faith as Adventists. We are called to worship God in a way that is distinct from the world. We are to worship Him on the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath, as a memorial of His creation and a reminder of His covenant with His people. We are to worship Him in spirit and in truth, with hearts that are fully devoted to Him.
- But why is it so important that we fear and worship God? The answer is found in the rest of Revelation 14:7: “because the hour of his judgment has come.”
- As Adventists, we believe that the end of the world is near. We believe that Jesus is coming again soon to judge the living and the dead. This is not a message of fear, but of hope. It is a reminder that God’s justice will prevail and that His kingdom will be established on earth.
- But the judgment that is coming is not just for the world. It is also for us, as individuals. We will all stand before God and give an account of our lives. We will be judged according to our deeds and our relationship with Him.
- This is why it is so crucial that we fear God and give Him glory. It is not just about avoiding punishment or earning rewards. It is about being in right relationship with Him. It is about living lives that are pleasing to Him and reflecting His love to the world.
- But how can we do this? How can we fear God and give Him glory in a world that is so opposed to Him?
- First, we must seek Him. We must make time for Him in our busy lives and put Him at the center of our priorities. We must pray and read His Word, the Bible, on a daily basis. We must fellowship with other believers and support one another in our journey of faith.
- Second, we must obey Him. We must follow His commands and live according to His principles. We must resist the temptations of the world and stand firm in our faith. We must be willing to suffer for His sake and be faithful to Him, even when it is difficult.
- Third, we must share Him. We must tell others about the love and salvation that is found in Jesus. We must be His witnesses and ambassadors to the world, sharing the good news of the gospel with those who are lost and hurting.
- In conclusion, Revelation 14:7 is a call to fear God and give Him glory.