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Technology makes it easy, but is it right?

A few decades back, when you needed information on a topic or had a question, it may have meant a trip to the library or a search in a set of encyclopedias. Now with a question or keywords typed into your phone or I-pad, in only a second or two, the artificial intelligence search engine quickly reviews a ‘gazillion’ bytes of data to present an answer or details on the topic. How easy is that? The trouble is that you don’t always know if the answer or information is correct. It depends on the source. AI may pull from erroneous sources. There is a lot of stuff on the internet and it isn’t all verified as facts. AI can just as easily pull invalid information as it does confirmed truth. Garbage in—garbage out. The thing that surprises me is how confident the AI generates response sounds; AI is absolutely positive that it found the best answer; it has no clue when the data it was fed was actually false or lies. This makes it so important that we verify the sources so we can see if we consider them trustworthy. I’ve done this and found that one source had faulty information which skewed the AI generated reply. By looking at multiple sources, you can assess what is the most reliable. Maybe even go ‘old school” and confirm from a book by a subject matter expert or authority on the topic.

I have to admit that I love how easy it is looking up scripture using the internet, I may search “scripture about joy” or “bible verses about encouragement”. Quickly, out pops a list on my phone. It is so convenient. You can easily compare the wording of the verses from various bible translations. I also like to follow up by looking up the verses in my bible to see context and maybe get more out of it than just the snippet that came up on the internet search. The bible is the source of the word of God, a source that is life-changing and life-giving. If you have trouble finding the words to pray, Google it, using technology in this way can inspire and bring some clarity to the vague ideas that circled in your brain, but don’t stop with the technology, use it to open a dialog with the ultimate source of all that is good, Our Almighty God. Be prompted to enter a deep and meaningful conversation with God. Stay connected to your source. God is the source of truth. He is all-knowing, steady, and just. With God, you can always know it is right.

God Bless,
Kerri LeVansler