I have worked in the IT industry for almost three decades, and in that time I have witnessed enormous change, from a world where the internet was not generally available to the rise of AI today. At the rate AI is progressing, it raises a question: is faith still relevant in the AI age?

You may wonder why I am asking. The truth is that unless you can answer this question confidently and unequivocally, you will be carried away by every new idea, technology or philosophy that emerges.

This is not the first time technology has put people on edge. When computers were first introduced, many feared mass job losses. Some jobs were indeed lost, but far more were created. With AI, however, the fear goes beyond jobs to the side effects of dependency. It does not help that leading industry figures, including heads of some AI companies, are warning that models are being built too quickly and that, without proper guardrails, the consequences will be far-reaching.

As I mulled this over, I remembered the question Jesus asked in Luke 18:8: "However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" In isolation it seems an unanswered question, but the chapter begins with context: "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." The faith Jesus is looking for is the kind that keeps turning to God in prayer.

What has this to do with AI? I believe it comes down to dependence. Many people now spend much of their time conversing with AI models and taking advice from them. There is genuine concern that our ability to think and reason will decline as more people turn to AI for every solution. Some experts also worry that mental health problems will deepen as people form emotional attachments to AI in place of human relationships.

That said, AI, like any other technology, can bring real good when used well. In medicine, research that once took years may be shortened considerably when AI models assist. Yet the same technology is being used in sophisticated phishing scams and in deepfakes capable of ruining lives.

So, back to our question. If we can get quick answers, solve problems rapidly and have information at our fingertips within seconds, is faith still relevant? My answer is an unequivocal "Yes!" Nothing that man has created has been, or ever will be, capable of saving mankind. AI is not even a new invention. It has been around for decades, and the difference now is that it is widely available. Whatever AI produces is built by people and trained on human output, so it cannot be totally depended on. This is why AI tools carry the warning, "AI can make mistakes. Please double-check responses." You cannot abdicate your reasoning to an AI agent. You still have to use your God-given faculties to evaluate what the model has provided as a solution and make the final decision.And if our faculties are God-given, our ultimate dependence belongs with God, and that dependence is expressed through faith. 

As human beings created by God, we cannot survive without faith in Him. The book of Hebrews 11:6 declares, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Faith also gives us something technology never can: a constant. Technology comes and goes. What was cutting edge twenty years ago is now outdated. As a software engineer, I look at code I wrote three or five years ago and know that, unless I update it, it will probably stop working within the next year. Yet the faith that drew me to the Lord about four decades ago is the same faith that keeps me going today, because the One in whom I placed it has not changed. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

If faith is still relevant, what should our attitude as Christians be in the AI-age? First, we should avoid fear. It is easy to be afraid when Elon Musk says, "With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon." That is concerning, but understanding what AI can and cannot do gives us the right perspective and helps us to use it as a tool, in its proper place.

Second, we should be aware of the danger of over-dependence. Like any over-reliance, it has side effects, including weakening our diligence in studying God's word and our ability to hear Him speak. AI tools can help with quick cross-referencing and with context for difficult passages, but they cannot replace our teacher, the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13, Jesus said, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."

So will the Son of Man find faith on the earth in the AI age? He will, wherever people keep praying and refuse to give up, using the tools of their day without handing their trust to any of them. As God declares in Malachi 3:6, "I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed." (NIVUK)