To AI or not to AI, what is the place of Artificial Intelligence?

When I was in school, the Texas Institute of Technology, scientific calculators were the thing. I saw it as a status symbol– even amongst those who never used it as intended. It could send secret notes in class– who wouldn’t want the $80 wonder?

Teachers quickly caught on that we were not aspiring geniuses conferring with scientific equations and formulas to solve the world’s problems, but teenagers with little interest in paying attention and great interest in talking about the dynamics of lunch hour.

New technology always comes with loopholes, a little glitz and glam, and a lot of novelty. It’s why we have drawers of kitchen gadgets, and shops full of new guaranteed to lighten your toolbox and solve your problems.

AI in a general sense, is no different- There is lots of novelty–

Hey chat…. Here is my to-do list, can you organize it efficiently so I can get my whole house clean in 2 hours?
Hey chat, I have one zucchini, some orange juice, and some chicken in my fridge and I don’t want to go to the store– can you give me some recipes?
Chat, I’m bored and I have work to do. Send these messages for me? (it can’t send messages, but suggested I take a walk and drink some water…)
Hey chat, I need to setup an email funnel using xyz program, can you help me like I’m in first grade? (Literally a lifesaver here)
Hey… me again (because… personification), I found this two day old kitten… how do you keep it alive?

Super helpful. I can Google and research all of these things on my own. I’m capable. However, I also have a toddler, so the likelihood of me being able to focus long enough to finish these things is …. less than. (As seen by my first prompt on the list above.) These are all things I have used AI for in the past few weeks. The bored one… really just typing bc I was searching for motivation– although I would have been curious about how chat would send my emails!

So the question isn’t– is this a tool, it is. But what type of tool? What are the moral, ethical, and practical questions we should ask? Should we use it at all? Should we fear it? How do we protect our kids from the damaging effects or potential programming issues like relationships and counseling?

I had one teacher in school who solved the calculator issue very wisely —instead of outlawing them altogether, they could be used openly and freely, except on tests. If the calculators could send notes… they could hide cheats for a test. If the tests required calculators for complex problems, it would be specific calculators only and we would be carefully watched. This teacher also left the answer book open in the front to combat cheating on homework, and encourage students to ask questions with respect to the test. It worked.

Instead of trying to get a bunch of teens doing geometry to be honest– he took away the temptation. No calculators on tests. The tests were weighted, the homework was low points. At the end of the semester — our understanding of the concepts on our own is what would be tested. Not our cleverness to avoid having to memorize formulas.

So what if the question of using AI or not– is not about usage, but instead comes down to what we are using it for and where our hearts are?

^1-3So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it! (Hebrews 6:11-12 MSG)

Like much of what we do as Christians, our hearts and focus are what is important. Are we growing and learning to walk more like Christ, or are we stale and staying put? Using AI to do the work for us so we can make something look good instead of learning to do the work ourselves may hijack our spiritual growth and maturity. The more I use spellcheck as my fallback, the less I remember how to spell receive. (Seriously, the E-I issue…)

So what if it’s a matter of keeping our goals, vision, and morals in line at all. Could I google– How to be a better parent to my kid who thinks he runs the world at 2? Sure. Could I pray about the same thing? Most definitely. What’s more important to me? What is the most useful and helpful thing?

What draws me closer to the Lord?

Using it to replace a conversation with the Lord, definitely distracting. (The I’m bored conversation, would have been more fruitfully had with the Holy Spirit… if I’m being honest)

What about when I’m out living life without my smartphone and laptop and chat isn’t available? Will I panic a bit at having to do the “long hand division” of life? Will my brain feel rusty?

The body is incredibly efficient– it finds the simplest, most energy-conscious solutions so that we can maximize our time. Incredible. Stop exercising for 3 weeks, and then try to do what you were doing before– You’ll notice the loss of muscle tone.

Can we monitor our hearts and minds to be aware of our tendencies to lose “muscle tone” in our thinking and habits? We can. But will we?

If we use AI as a tool that helps us to grow or free up some space in our day– to do what God is calling us to? I don’t see a problem with that. That’s not causing an atrophying of the muscle. If we replace prayer time, critical and creative thinking, and applied knowledge with AI will we lose tone? Yes.

How about morally? Well, where is our trust with God? I know a handful of teens who will ask AI for advice over the trusted advice of a parent or counselor. I have been tempted before– why wouldn’t we be? Instead of searching a google article for a situation and discerning if this is a valuable tool for me, I can ask Chat to do it for me. Instead of reading a book about someone’s gained wisdom and experience, Chat can summaraize for me.

This is dangerous because of AI’s created tendency to imitate human emotion. We can accidentally take a collective knowledge bot, as a counselor who has our best interests at heart. But it’s an algorithm. We shortchange authors, humans who have lived testimonies, and our own hearts to sit with and learn things at a relational pace.

Let’s use the three little pigs story as an example. I typed into AI this prompt:

In the story of the Three little pigs, tell me about how the pig who built his house from straw was the most correct of the three?

Answer:

Here’s a fun twist on the story where the pig with the straw house is actually the smartest one:

The pig who built with straw may look careless at first—but straw is lightweight, cheap, and quick to build with. He finished his house in record time, while the others were still hauling sticks and bricks. That freed him up for what was really important: resting, playing, and preparing an escape plan in case of trouble.

When the wolf came, his straw house fell easily, yes—but that also meant he wasn’t trapped inside a crumbling building. The house gave way quickly, leaving him free to run to safety. His quick, flexible approach protected him, while the heavier houses took longer to build and made his brothers tired and distracted.

In this version, the straw-house pig shows us that sometimes “smarts” isn’t about building the strongest walls—it’s about conserving energy, thinking ahead, and staying adaptable. Instead of wasting all his time and strength on a fortress, he trusted that he could stay nimble and resourceful, and that’s what ultimately kept him alive.

👉 Would you like me to spin this into a full re-told story (like a playful children’s book style), or keep it as a clever “moral of the story” reflection?

Next I asked it to talk to me as if I was the pig who built the house from straw, but was feeling like a failure because the wolf still knocked it down.

Answer?

Of course—let’s step into that moment together. 🐷💛

Hey friend, I know you’re feeling like you failed because your house of straw didn’t stand up to the wolf. It’s easy to look at the rubble and think, “I should’ve done more, built better, been stronger.” But let me tell you something—your choice wasn’t foolish. It was brave.

You acted quickly, resourcefully, and you gave yourself shelter when you needed it most. You used what was around you, and that shows creativity, not failure. And when the wolf came? You weren’t trapped—you got away. That means you’re not weak… you’re alive. You’re adaptable.

Your brothers might have sturdier houses, but they were exhausted and worried while they built. You gave yourself rest. You gave yourself freedom. Sometimes wisdom isn’t about who built the strongest wall—it’s about who learned to rise again after the wall fell.

So no, you’re not a failure. You’re the pig who learned fastest: houses can be rebuilt, but your spirit, your cleverness, and your life? Those are the things that really matter. And you still have all of them.

✨ Want me to keep talking to you in this same voice—as if I’m encouraging you, the straw-house pig—or would you like me to shift into giving you a gentle “moral takeaway” that you can carry with you?

Isn’t that interesting? AI will learn our own personal styles and adapt- speak to us how we want to be spoken to, and tell us what we want to hear. We can ask for criticism:

Hey Chat… can you give me a critical view of my choice in building material as the pig who built my house from straw? I feel like a failure– tell me how I’m right

Answer:

Alright—let’s lean into the hard honesty, from the voice of someone who really sees you as that pig who built with straw. 🐷

You’re right to feel the sting of failure here. Choosing straw was the easiest path—you grabbed what was quickest, lightest, and most convenient. But in doing that, you didn’t give yourself a fighting chance against the wolf. You traded durability for speed, security for comfort. And when the storm came, you saw the consequences immediately.

It’s true: your house couldn’t protect you. It collapsed at the very first test. That choice left you exposed and dependent on your brothers’ stronger homes. There’s wisdom in admitting that—because sometimes the truth is, we chose poorly. You leaned on what was “good enough for now,” and it cost you the confidence you needed when danger showed up at your door.

So yes, in that sense, you failed. You didn’t plan long-term. You didn’t build for resilience. And facing that truth hurts—but it’s also the first step toward building differently next time.

👉 Do you want me to stop here with the raw critique, or would you like me to take this into the “what you can do next” encouragement, so it doesn’t just end in failure but moves toward hope?

Side note here: notice that no matter what the answer is, there is a “feel” to the feedback. This is the value of playing with AI, even if you have no intention of using it. It equips you to recognize how it talks (You will now see it in many many social media posts.. sorry!).

AI is a tool and it is here to stay. I think this is a beautiful opportunity for us to step into a space of creating ethics and morals in how we use this tool. Can we lean into it and explore practical helpful application? Can we be aware of our human tendencies to let it do the work for us? Will we learn enough about it to help others navigate their own experiences?

There are stories coming out of teens using AI as a counselor/friend for all sorts of things- and when they are hurting, insecure, or uncertain they are vulnerable. It’s hard to talk to trusted adults about the hard stuff of teenage years and young adulthood– and much easier to go to a computer who says nice things like “So no, you’re not a failure. You’re the pig who learned fastest”

How can we step into the conversation and become a place of safety and truth to these teens, ours and others?

How can we lead the way with love and kindness– not fearful of the tool, or shut down about it (though we don’t have to use it), but brave enough to talk about it, teach about it, and lead ourselves and the next generation into being brave and loving people of honor? Let’s start the conversation and go a little deeper.

Here’s a few filters I use to help keep myself in check:

Am I using AI like a calculator that thinks for me? Do I know how to do the thing I am asking it to do?
Am I weak in this skill, and using AI because it feels hard?
Am I using it as a tool that helps me grow, learn, and sharpen my thinking?
Have I prayed about this topic?
Have I asked the Lord for wisdom first, am I avoiding the “wait on Him,” part of Christianity?
Is this drawing me nearer to the Lord?
Am I seeking validation, or feeling insecure?
What happens if I don’t ask AI about this?
Would I recommend a new Christian use AI this way?
Does my use of AI honor others as brothers and sisters in Christ?
Am I using it to serve people well, or to serve myself at their expense? Am I being authentically flawed here?
Is this a striving for performance and perfectionism?
What boundaries do I need to put in place (time limits, content limits, prayer first, etc.)?
Do I know when to stop using AI and lean on Scripture, prayer, or wise counsel instead?

Whatever you decide in the realm of AI is up to you, use it or don’t, learn it or don’t, but don’t fear it. Don’t question your capability because of it’s answers, or wonder about your value because you didn’t know what it did. You were created by the Creator, and AI created by His creations. It won’t replace humans, or lessen the value of humanity. We were created in His image, and that is irreplaceable.

Ask questions, laugh often, stay curious, be brave. Much love friends!