Latest / Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo / Scott Townsend: The Growing AI, Tech Traps The Church Must Avoid (REPLAY)

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Scott Townsend: The Growing AI, Tech Traps The Church Must Avoid (REPLAY) · Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo

• 0:00
  Welcome to World View Matters, discussing controversial issues, discerning current events,
• 0:10
  defending biblical Christianity, no topic, off limits.
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  And now, here's your host, David Firazzo.
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  Brothers and sisters, thank you so much for tuning in.
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  I cover a lot of different topics, all from the lens of the biblical world view on this
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  podcast.
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  And my brother, Scott Townsend, gets into things that a lot of people don't talk about.
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  But we need to kind of keep up with some of this.
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  What's going on technologically with AI and with other things, and just to keep that
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  good perspective so the body of Christ can be balanced and equipped.
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  But before I bring him on, and he's on substack, I want to mention, if you missed our past
• 0:53
  interviews with Scott, you can go to our search at worldviewmatters.tv and at the search
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  just type in Scott Townsend.
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  And the most recent one, we talked about AI, not being as intelligent as we've been told.
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  And then there's another one before that.
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  So look those up if you can, but I want to direct you to his substack now.
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  And here's the site, I am a watchman.substack.com.
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  Brother, good to see you again, thanks for all you do and for your time.
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  Thank you very much for having me on again, David.
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  It's a great privilege.
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  Praise God.
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  I know you're busy, so I appreciate it now.
• 1:36
  You told me something before we got on that you send out different articles and different
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  information on different days of the week and you have a different kind of purpose
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  for doing so, please run that down for us again.
• 1:48
  Thank you for allowing me to speak to that.
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  Yes, I have three different series on substack, which I do weekly, on just very briefly.
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  What I do on Tuesday night typically is a tech oriented article.
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  And the reason the originating story for that was I wanted to give our audience more
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  background into the things that I was researching that came up typically in John Haller's
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  tech roundtable series that we have about every six weeks.
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  The second series has to do is very personal, the second one.
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  It has to do with coming alongside the watchman community and putting difficult topics and
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  thinking processes to provide some leadership, thought leadership.
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  And I call that series the kitchen table series.
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  And the idea behind it is let's just talk honestly as brothers and sisters in the watchman
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  community and that series is really, really amazing.
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  And then of course the last one I just started, I think six weeks ago, I've got another
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  blog post for this coming out later tomorrow night.
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  Friday night I release a blog update on my development that I'm doing for advanced
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  gospel initiatives.
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  So that is more technical.
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  I talk about the different projects that I'm working on.
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  This would be the Scott Townsend behind the public persona.
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  This is the technical part of me that few people get to see.
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  And I made a commitment just six or seven weeks ago to begin letting our audience, David,
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  see that part of what I'm working on.
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  And the goal is to ask for prayer, prayer is on the bottom of that to help me to thank
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  clearly and to execute what the Lord has put on my heart in mind.
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  Just as a teaser, one of the advanced topics that I gospel initiatives I've already begun
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  talking about more publicly is having to do with using a Raspberry Pi platform to basically
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  hold a web server in the palm of your hand, no internet required and anybody that connects
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  to that captive Wi-Fi portal such as you would have in a hotel could actually get a hold
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  of all of the post rapture emergency message content that we have on the rapture kit.
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  So this is an evangelism tool, anybody that puts one in their backpack to broadcast something
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  if anyone joins it, they get to hear the gospel.
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  And of course my real use case, my passion is to be a missionary to tribulation saints.
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  That's what I call myself nowadays.
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  And I envision this type of technology to survive all the gospel oriented biblical worldview
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  websites that are taken down and canceled and yet as new believers come to faith after
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  the rapture, they need training.
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  You know, a lot of them are very, very young in the Lord.
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  Some know the Bible, they just never committed in John 3 to be born again.
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  But I want this to be a training appliance that they could take into the wilderness so
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  that anybody that wants to see sermon series or read Bibles or books or see the kind
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  of information that would normal it beyond the rapture kit that they can do that.
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  Awesome.
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  I mean rapturekit.org, there's a direct link, friends rapturekit.org.
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  Scott, we're going to try to do justice to three really different topics today but I want
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  to start with one you recently wrote about last month and actually almost a month and
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  a half ago now cognitive decline when using AI.
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  This one's really kind of eye opening but not surprising.
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  It says there's strong scientific evidence that relying heavily on chat GPT and other
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  large language models for writing and creative tasks leads to cognitive debt resulting in
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  reduced mental engagement, creativity and reduced memory over time.
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  Tell us about this because we know how much of a lure or technology and things like this
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  are to especially the younger generation.
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  So go ahead.
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  David, this is important.
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  The we understand some of the far reaching implications of using AI and in a nutshell,
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  the key thought here is that when we use AI, we're delegating thinking and what happens
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  is we're not using the deep part of our brain that does critical thinking skills to work
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  out things on our own using our own gives abilities and you know, we're not really we're
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  getting lazier and that laziness is so easy to understand because AI continues to get
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  very competent.
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  So people you know that are searching for a biblical passage, including myself sometimes
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  when I'm doing research, you know, I my brain is getting old like many of us and you
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  know, I just need help remembering I know what the scripture, what the content is.
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  I don't remember what, you know, the book and chapter in verse are in all cases.
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  So you do a quick search, but you know, over a period of time, when you let go of your
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  own ownership of thinking through, especially critical decisions, and I'll just speak
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  to pastors using AI for sermon writing or sermon prep, that should not be a thing.
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  That's a red line in my opinion.
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  If pastors really understood how AI works, they would avoid it like the plague in that capacity.
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  We don't want to put an AI between the Holy Spirit and a pastor, especially as they're
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  preparing to address their congregation on the weekend.
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  So it's very important that we do not let go of that aspect of our ministry and calling.
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  Amen.
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  So, but the thing is guys are doing it, you know, they're putting in a prompt, a pastor
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  Kurt Reed and I talked about this a few months ago where he said, Scott, look, I can't
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  believe this is happening, but I just overheard a conversation of a pastor and a church
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  that said, I just preached the best sermons there is of my life.
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  And he's went on to boast, to boast about the fact that he used AI to do it and it was
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  done in 45 seconds.
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  So that is wrongful thinking.
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  I don't think the Lord has a very high opinion of that and I'm concerned about pastors.
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  So I'm trying to speak to this along with others.
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  Yeah, who determined that it was the best, you know, series, preaching series in his
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  life?
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  Did he determine that and what comments from his audience?
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  And so what does that mean, Pastor Kurt said that's not a good reflection of that guy.
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  Yeah, what does this imply about the, you know, the spiritual maturity of the church itself
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  and also, you know, the willingness of a pastor to take shortcuts or to somehow introduce
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  a, it's almost like uplifting your, your own skills in order to look better or to appear
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  more thoughtful in terms of a sermon.
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  And by the way, AI is very competent.
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  No doubt about it.
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  It can do amazing things, but let's have clarity over where that boundary is.
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  And so getting back on topic with this, David, when we let go and let AI, we're robbing,
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  we're disenfranchising the way that the Lord has created us to be occupied or until he
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  comes.
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  I mean, we're not supposed to take a back seat.
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  We're supposed to be very critical thinkers and we're supposed to help people with understanding
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  the gospel, apologetics, we're supposed to help them understand how to connect the
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  dots and to report, watch and warn the things that we see coming.
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  And to me, David, that is not like Christianity 101.
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  You know, that is PhD level understanding of the word as being a good Berean, its years
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  and years and years of uptake of important information and background in order to have
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  the correct context to help people in the body of Christ.
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  So you provide several sources that reinforce this cognitive debt hypothesis.
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  I just want to say a basic way that we can understand this is most of us that are older,
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  grew up at a time where we had phone numbers of our friends memorized and addresses and
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  everything else.
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  And now you just pick up your phone, hit a button.
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  You don't have to know numbers, so there's just a lot of issues that it makes sense that
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  of course the brain is not functioning as it's capable of functioning.
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  Scott, you want to close this one out before we jump to the next one?
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  Yeah, I liken it to video games, you know, you can waste a lot of time doledging in the
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  flesh in that way, sorry, these are strong words.
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  And I just, I, what used to game, you know, and that was before it became a watchman, you
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  know, I don't game anymore, I see it as a time suck and it's not a productive way of
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  using my time.
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  Mm hmm.
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  Amen, brother.
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  Thank you.
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  Okay, let's jump to the next one.
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  This would be your most recent, the future of computing, how AI and quantum are shaping
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  to my own, I'm thinking, how many more, I mean, we're going to continue to see headlines
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  like this, the future of computing, because where is this going to take us, but what do
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  you cover in this one, Scott?
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  Well, look, we have all known, if you read Revelation 13 and work backwards, that it,
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  there's a series of implications about the mark of the B system as a system and also how
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  it's enforced and the, you know, the cashless society that it implies, you can't buy
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  or sell without the mark, for example, that is not a cash transaction, which is anonymous.
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  So we knew this was coming according to the scriptures and we saw evidences of it creeping
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  along the technology, you know, logarithmic curve almost.
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  So what we're seeing recently with Jensen Huangs, who's the CEO of Nvidia, the largest
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  most wealthiest company in the world, by the way, in terms of market cap, they are beginning
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  to talk about introducing, you know, AI as a way of controlling the stability of a qubit inside
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  of a quantum computer and also introducing 6G communications technology in order to harness
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  the very rapid internet of things and the ability to do vast amounts of data connectivity
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  and very short amounts of time.
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  And they use the example, download a full-length Hollywood movie in seconds.
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  That's the speed that they're talking about.
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  And when we are hearing the CEO of one of the most important technology companies in the last
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  five years, talking about the convergence of the exact architecture of the B system.
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  Here, you've got AI that controls and decision making and policies and controls
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  of the uptake of information processes it, understands what's happening in the world.
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  You've got quantum that could do hacking and other advanced encryption braking systems.
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  And if AI controls quantum, the AI could say, go crack this bank and give me all their money.
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  See, this is not good.
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  And then you've got the final leg, which is you've got the mark and the mark
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  authenticate somebody in the B system.
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  Now, we're not going to see this.
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  I'm pre-mail pre-trib.
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  The mark comes after the restrainers removed.
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  I want to make sure our audience understands that.
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  And so what will happen is that the communications part of it between us and space
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  will happen to facilitate instantaneous acknowledgement of bicell authorization decisions
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  and all the other control narratives of the promised B system that's coming.
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  And just to put a cherry on this topic, David, where do you go with this information?
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  Yeah.
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  And I'll just say that to me, it just means when we see the evidence of these systems beginning
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  to unify and deploy, coming out of research labs and beginning to be a real thing,
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  then that means that we are so much closer than when we first believed,
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  not setting a date or time, not getting caught up in that, but to understand the season that
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  were in. And why is that important?
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  To me, I can't remember who says this all the time, but I love it.
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  It's not an escape theology. It's Pastor Joseph Morris, by the way.
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  It's not an escape theology. It's a hustle theology.
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  You know, I love the way that he characterizes that.
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  It means we need to be about the father's business. If we're seeing it, we need to be
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  responsible as watchmen and watch women to raise the alarm to understand these things
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  enough that we can have intelligent communications with people.
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  And it's tough for Christians sometimes to understand we are in this world, not of this world,
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  but yet we use some of the technologies. And I think every time we have you on,
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  we could probably do the same topic in the future of computing because it's not going to stop.
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  There's going to be constant advancements and we'll talk more about that later.
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  We've got to take a brief pause with Scott Townsend.
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  Here's some good news to tell you about and then we'll be right back on World View Matters.
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  All right, friends, the website and ways you can register coming soon.
• 15:51
  Friends, we are now in our third year already of producing World View Matters and we're amazed
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  how far it's taken off. Praise God to continue speaking the truth and exposing evil, having great
• 16:02
  guests like Scott and so many others. We depend on your prayers first and foremost.
• 16:07
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• 16:12
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• 16:28
  asked with my tagline, keep speaking the truth about things that matter and World View Matters
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  on the other side. So please visit worldviewmatters.tv. And as always, we appreciate your prayers first
• 16:42
  and foremost and your encouragement. And then for those who are able to give financially,
• 16:46
  we're moving. And I think hopefully we're glorifying God and he's propelling this ship.
• 16:52
  But Scott Townsend, so did we wrap up the future of computing? If we can, we can go to the final
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  topic. No, I think we're ready to go to the next one. There's a lot to comment about this next
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  one too, David. Remember, we talked about AI companions and the development of that type of
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  snare. I'm going to call it what it is. And so I'll give you an update. What we're, what used to
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  happen just to give our audience kind of a background on this is that there were companies that were
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  specializing in providing AI companions, which is the ability to have conversations normally
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  through text messages to a semi, you know, semi-competent AI. A lot of it was done through
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  machine learning, which was the older version of AI. And they were paid apps and everything
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  like that. But what we're seeing recently is very frightening to me. AI companions have grown
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  in their maturity and acceptance and many, you know, hundreds of thousands of users are using
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  them all the time now. And that is ranging from companionship to solve loneliness problems, self-esteem
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  problems. But AI's have a serious flaw in that they provide what is called syncopathic responses.
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  They will tell you what you want to hear. And they guide people into erroneous thinking. And of
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  course, they do not have a biblical worldview. And one of the most shocking but predictable things
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  has just happened through open AI. They made an announcement that short coming, I think it's in
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  December. They're releasing and I'm not kidding you, David. They're permitting age-verified users
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  to have erotic based conversations with an AI companion. And talk about the filth of, you know,
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  that level of conversation, because look, in a traditional way of interacting with
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  sexually explicit material, that's one way. But when AI is involved, it learns, it memorizes what
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  you like and don't like and all that stuff. And it's more targeted and understands its data mining
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  you. And all the information can be used to manipulate you. And you never know what your data,
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  if it's safe, if it's going somewhere, you don't know anything about what's happening behind
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  the scenes. And of course, the great concern is if we already have a pornography epidemic,
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  which we do, having an interactive form of pornography is almost indescribably threatening to
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  the human race. I will be that direct with it. And so, you know, to me, privately, I'm wondering,
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  is this what explains the fact that, you know, in, you know, the tribulation period, no one
• 20:00
  marries anymore? You know, what's going on with this narrative? And they're not the only one.
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  So, OpenAI has announced this, but Grok has already implemented this. So, there are limited
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  number of personas, some of which are imbued with the ability to talk in an inappropriate way
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  for users. And the entanglement of these AI companions is just further separates a user,
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  could be a man or a woman from any attempt at a real relationship with real, you know,
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  I would say the way that God has designed relationships to be a completely bypasses normal,
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  you know, ways that God has designed us. And it's very isolating and dangerous. And I'm very concerned,
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  which is why I appreciate the fact that we're talking about this, David. Thank you for your
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  leadership. Well, shocking, as you said, but predictable, we are the most connected technologically
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  with gadgets and technology and machines than we've ever been in history, but we are the most
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  disconnected personally from people, from that physical contact. You see families at a restaurant,
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  and most of them, if not all of the family members, but they're looking down at their cell phones,
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  and they're out for dinner together. So, I understand how this is a lure shot because loneliness
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  becomes such a, it's a bigger issue than it was 50 years ago. Now, it's a different level of
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  lonely when you talk about the lack of interpersonal connection or communication.
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  Speak to that because I'm reading this article that you wrote, it's this system has grown
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  over 60% in the last year, more than 120 new apps launching this year alone, and this is the
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  direction it's going. The church has to be ready for stuff like this. That's the key part of this
• 22:08
  in my ongoing effort to speak to pastors through my open letter to pastors,
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  cleverly labeled, or one through four, and a bonus, and a bonus post on pastor, have you been left
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  behind? That was my motivating speech to that audience that I predict will be a thing in the future.
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  So, my heart goes out to pastors into the kind of crushing weight of the everyday responsibilities
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  and distress and conflict that they're finding themselves in all day long, and in 2020 a lot of
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  things broke in the church, a lot of things broke period and interpersonal relationships with
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  mass that obscured people's face, zoom that distance people, separation distances, and things like
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  that, and we've not really recovered from that, and unfortunately the church has to step into that
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  void, but with the uptake of the adoption of these technologies, David, it is very clear that
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  people that could be in church even, more people that believe that they're broken and in desperate
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  need for help, where they would have gone to church as a last effort exploration of what can
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  God offer them. You know, that gets triaged out of their worldview, and all of a sudden they
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  pick up the convenience for a few dollars a month of interacting with an AI companion, and once the
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  hook sets in, David, it is a very, very dangerous place. And as anything, I mean, it can become
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  addicting. I just part of this article, recent surveys show teenagers and young adults engaging
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  in daily, emotionally significant interactions with AI. Friends, that's just sad, but that's where
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  what the church has to understand. They want community, they want interaction, but they're not
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  getting it in the right place. Scott closed us out in the last couple minutes here.
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  Well, just to finish that one, David, look, this is a challenge for youth pastors, especially because
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  the youth are the most vulnerable. So youth pastors need to stand there and really address this with
• 24:24
  their, you know, groups that they're involved in, no matter what age groups are coming through
• 24:29
  schools. And I think as a broad, you know, challenge to all pastors, you know, we're needing to be
• 24:35
  about the father's business in a way that has never been seen before in future or previous generations.
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  We're at the very last part of it. And we have to be missional in terms of how we can have
• 24:47
  kingdom impact for the Lord. And it's not a trivial or lightweight topic. It is very sobering.
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  And of course, for pastors and watchmen, there's great accountability there too.
• 24:57
  Amen, brother. So much more friends. And these are extensive articles that the three topics,
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  we just briefly touched on here with Scott, but we just appreciate your time, brother.
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  I love this perspective because we have to talk about these things. I don't necessarily love all
• 25:13
  the subject matter we always get into on some of these podcasts, but we're here for the body of
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  Christ. Hopefully God is speaking, equipping, just giving people information and through the
• 25:24
  biblical worldview a different way of looking at what's going on in the world. And that's why
• 25:29
  I appreciate ministries like yours. So again, the website friends, I am a watchman.substac.com.
• 25:36
  Remember to check out the wrapsherkit.org. It's just wrapsherkit.org. Scott, again, thank you for
• 25:42
  your time. Lord willing, we will do this again soon. Thank you very much David. Always a pleasure to
• 25:48
  be with you. All right. You're most welcome. And by the way, check out their round table. John
• 25:53
  Haller's round table. Those guys, I mean, sometimes it goes over my head too, but I'm just trying to keep
• 25:59
  up with what they're talking about because they are on the cutting edge. And by the way, Haller reads
• 26:03
  the New York Times so you don't have to. Friends, thank you so much for your prayers, your
• 26:08
  encouragement for sharing the podcast. And of course, your financial support. God bless you and as
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  always, keep speaking the truth about things that matter.