I came across an article recently that ended with a statement that stopped me in my tracks:
"As AIs get closer and closer to a Pareto improvement over all human performance, though, I expect we'll eventually need to augment ourselves to keep up." (Capital, AGI, and Human Ambition)
Let me translate that from tech-speak for a moment. What the author is saying is that artificial intelligence will eventually become better than humans at everything we do. Not just some things - everything. And when that happens, the author suggests we'll need to upgrade our God-given bodies and minds with technology just to stay relevant.
The Temptation in the Garden
As I sat with those words, I couldn't help but hear echoes of humanity's first temptation. You know the one - where the serpent whispered to Eve, "you will be like God" (Genesis 3:5). Today's whisper doesn't come from a serpent in a garden. It comes from our technological achievements, promising us that if we just upgrade ourselves enough - if we augment our God-given bodies and minds with silicon and circuits - we can keep pace with the machines we've created.
The parallel should make us pause and pray.
I think about the words of Psalm 139:14, where David declares that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." But how often do we believe this? Really believe it? When AI can solve complex mathematics in milliseconds or write poetry or create art, it's tempting to look at our human limitations and see them as flaws that need fixing.
But here's the truth that sets us free: Our worth doesn't come from our processing speed or our ability to compute. Christ didn't die for our productivity; He died for our souls. Our value isn't measured in teraflops or benchmarks - it's measured by the price God was willing to pay for us on Calvary.
Here's what strikes me as deeply ironic: While we're worrying about keeping up with AI, we've already been offered the ultimate upgrade. Not through silicon and circuits, but through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Paul puts it this way: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Think about that for a moment. While the world chases after technological enhancement, we already have access to something far more profound - the ability to be transformed from the inside out, to have our minds renewed (Romans 12:2), to become more like Jesus Himself.
Don't misunderstand me - I'm not suggesting all technology is bad. God gave us dominion over creation (Genesis 1:28), and technology can be a powerful tool for fulfilling that mandate and loving our neighbors. The issue isn't using technology; it's letting it redefine what it means to be human.
When we cross that line - when we move from using tools to fundamentally altering who God made us to be - we've started down a dangerous path. Our goal shouldn't be keeping up with our creations. It should be using them wisely in service of God's kingdom.
You know what keeps me up at night about this whole discussion? It's not just the ethical implications of human enhancement - though those are serious enough. It's the way this reveals a deeper spiritual crisis in our hearts: a confusion about who we are and why we're here.
Jesus asked, "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36). Today, we might ask: What good is it to gain superhuman capabilities through augmentation, yet lose our essential humanity?
Moving Forward in Faith
The fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) - these are what make us distinctively human and uniquely valuable in God's eyes. No AI can truly replicate these qualities because they come not through technological enhancement but through submission to the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.
So let's move forward not in fear of being left behind by AI, but in confidence that God has created us for His purposes. He has equipped us with everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and He has promised to complete the good work He began in us (Philippians 1:6).
Not through silicon and circuits.
Not through technological enhancement.
But through the transforming power of His Spirit.
That's an upgrade worth pursuing.
