Introductory Notes
- I bought this book as a consequence of reading "Peckham (Jeremy) - AI, humanity and Christian ministry". There are lots of secular critiques of the current direction of AI research and application. It’ll be interesting to read an in-depth Christian angle, especially as some Christians seem to be embracing the technology to help with ‘ministry’.
- All the reviewers seem to latch on to human beings being made ‘in the image of God’, whatever they take that to mean. The AIs are being made in our image, which – even from a secular perspective – suggest that our biases will be embedded.
- One reviewer referred to our being ‘made in the image of Christ’ which made me sit up a bit. It sounds a bit like the suggestion that Christ already existed in humanoid form before the creation of Adam.
- Wikipedia: Image of God is surprisingly useful and has many of the relevant Biblical references. Christ is said to be the ‘image of the invisible God’ and we are to be conformed to that image … which sounds to be a development of … or a repair of … our initial creation in God’s image.
- I hope to say more when I’ve received and read the book.
Back Cover Blurb
- Artificial Intelligence (Al) pervades much of our lives. We use facial recognition to open our phones, and the state uses it to track us - so what's the problem? Decisions are made using machine learning on our private and personal data, from shopping habits to medical history - have we lost control? We order our digital world in conversation with chatbots - how convenient, but is it changing our relationships with people? The prospect of a self-driving vehicle lies just around the corner - should we care that it might run over a child to save the passenger's life?
- Jeremy Peckham shows us how we have become seduced by progress, embracing Al applications for their convenience, yet unwittingly diminishing our ability to be God’s image bearers and losing moral responsibility. Rooted in the biblical truth that humanity is created in God's image. Masters or Slaves? explores six ways in which Al has an impact today. We are challenged where, and how, to set boundaries, both privately and as a society, in order not to fall into addiction, slavery and idolatry.
Contents
Preface – xi
Acknowledgments – xiv
- Prologue – 1
- The dawning of a new day? – 1
- Today’s realities – 9
- Artificially intelligent – 12
- What is intelligence anyway? – 13
- A winter of discontent! – 15
- Breaking through – 16
- What took so long? – 18
- The world's our oyster – 20
- The age of implementation – 21
- A singular event – 24
- Becoming gods – 26
- More than a memory – 29
- A mistaken neutrality – 34
- To print or not to print? – 34
- Changing culture – 35
- A hidden addiction – 38
- New is better than old – 40
- Losing consciousness – 41
- Totally amazing! – 42
- Made in God's image – 43
- More than matter – 53
- Free to choose – 57
- So what’s at stake? – 65
- Mind over matter – 67
- Learning our skills – 70
- What's wrong with you? – 72
- Who is to judge? – 75
- Love or deepfake? – 85
- A question of gender – 86
- How can 1 help you? – 88
- A child's friend? – 92
- A living doll – 95
- Bedside manners – 98
- True love – 99
- Convenience or freedom? – 102
- You're not alone! – 104
- Can you be trusted? – 107
- It pays to be smart - or does it? – 110
- I'm a computer - I'm not biased! – 113
- Big Brother is watching, but he’s not who you thought! – 115
- Counting the cost – 121
- It's private – 122
- Keep justice! – 125
- Autonomy or responsibility? – 128
- Who's in charge? – 130
- That’s not where 1 wanted to go! – 134
- Taking responsibility – 136
- Leisure or dignity? – 139
- Robots will take longer – 141
- It’s my job! – 145
- Free money – 149
- Created to work – 151
- Leisure is a cycle – 154
- A mirror world or reality? – 160
- Losing reality – 163
- A slippery slope – 165
- New idols – 168
- Another tower – 169
- A pale reflection – 174
- In search of immortality – 177
- The true Homo Deus – 178
- Soul purpose – 180
- A digital priesthood – 181
- Reclaiming our soul – 182
- Some practical steps – 185
- A spectrum of risk – 191
- Resolving tensions – 192
- Virtue over convenience – 194
- A Christian manifesto – 201
- Propositions for humanity – 205
- A sting in the tail – 206
- Ethics for all – 207
- Regulating our future – 215
- Following the true Homo Deus – 217
Index of subjects – 219
Index of Scripture references – 237
Amazon Book Description
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) pervades much of our lives. We use facial recognition to open our phones, and the state uses it to track us – so what’s the problem? Decisions are made using machine learning on our private and personal data, from shopping habits to medical history – have we lost control? We order our digital world in conversation with chatbots – how convenient, but is it changing our relationships with people? The prospect of a self-driving vehicle lies just around the corner – should we care that it might run over a child to save the passenger’s life? Jeremy Peckham shows us how we have become seduced by progress, embracing AI applications for their convenience, yet unwittingly diminishing our ability to be God’s image-bearers and losing moral responsibility. Rooted in the biblical truth that humanity is created in God’s image, Masters or Slaves? explores six ways in which AI has an impact today. We are challenged where, and how, to set boundaries, both privately and as a society, in order not to fall into addiction, slavery and idolatry.
- Reviews
- This book shines brightly in the constellation of books on the subject. Written by an expert, it is historically situated, technologically informed, well-modulated in tone, coherent in argument, theological in orientation, and judicious in illustrations. More than a book of conclusions, its design and structure model the best in the art of robust critique while offering possible ways to consider the appropriate deployment of Artificial Intelligence.
→ Bruce A. Little, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, USA.
- This is a book that needed to be written. We are surrounded by technologies which are new and ever changing. They impinge on almost every area of our lives – from work to leisure, from personal freedom to self-image. And they are not neutral. How do they affect us as human beings made in the image of God? How might AI have a negative impact on authentic relationships? How do we avoid technology becoming a cruel taskmaster? Jeremy Peckham has a profound grasp of both biblical truth and the AI revolution. He helps us to think in a Christian way about a subject we cannot ignore. His book is highly recommended.
→ Paul Mallard, Senior Minister, Widcombe Baptist Church, Bath, England; former President of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
- At last, a Christian critique of Artificial Intelligence written by a domain expert which succeeds in making the subject readily accessible to non-experts. Steering a biblically grounded and carefully argued course between the refuseniks and the techno-optimists, Jeremy Peckham unpacks the implications of Artificial Intelligence for real people made in the image of God. This is a word in season for twenty-first century disciples.
→ Norman Fraser, IT entrepreneur; Adjunct Professor, Aalborg University Business School, Denmark
- Jeremy Peckham’s Masters or Slaves? lists many of the worrying pitfalls and problems that he feels currently, and potentially, evolve from an unthinking embrace of Artificial Intelligence. By the end of the book, he presents us with a ‘Christian manifesto’ for technology, that encourages us to put up barriers in some of our uses of and development of AI to safeguard genuine humanness and the image of God in humans. All this is controversial territory -- a field that Peckham has significant familiarity with given his background in AI -- and not all readers will agree with everything in the book; that is the nature of these unknowns. But the conversation is important, and the principles are necessary: while we embrace technology for the progress of the gospel, we should not idolize technology.
→ Josh Moody, senior pastor of College Church in Wheaton, IL, and president and founder of God Centered Life Ministries
- Artificial intelligence is increasingly prevalent in our societies and you might appreciate the information, directions, or recommendations it provides. But did you ever stop to consider how AI is shaping our lives and our societies? How should we as Christians relate to these new technologies? Jeremy Peckham starts with the principle that all humans are created in the image of Christ. If that’s true, what are the implications for our understanding of ‘being human’? And how does that shape our thinking about Artificial Intelligence? Technology is evolving quickly and it is high time that we consider the consequences and make up our minds. With many years of experience in this field, Jeremy Peckham’s thoughtful observations and sometimes provocative questions and opinions, make for an interesting journey in the field of Artificial Intelligence, ending in a helpful manifesto summarising some of the concerns Jeremy has identified along the way.
→ Arie de Pater, EEA, Brussels Representative
- Masters or Slaves? is a welcome addition to the growing Christian literature on AI. In comparison to other recent Christian publications on AI... Peckham’s contribution has a stronger technical foundation due to his extensive background in the technology. Peckham expresses moral concerns similar to those of other authors about the development of AI, while covering a large number of areas that AI currently, or will inevitably, affect. Although Peckham could certainly provide even more background on specific AI technologies, his book serves as an excellent introduction to a Christian response to AI.
→ Eddy Wu, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith [December 2021]
- About the Author:
- Jeremy Peckham has spent much of his career in the field of Artificial Intelligence, and latterly, as a businessman and entrepreneur. He worked as a government scientist at the UK Royal Aircraft Establishment and later moved to Logica, an international software and systems integration company. Whilst at Logica he was Project Director of the 5 year, pan European and 20m Euro research project on Speech Understanding and Dialogue (SUNDIAL) that broke new ground in AI. He founded his first company in 1993 through a management buy-out, based on the AI technology developed at Logica, and launched a successful public offering on the London Stock Exchange in 1996. Jeremy is now a technology entrepreneur, having helped to establish several high-tech companies over the last 25 years, where he has served as founder and interim CEO, Chairman, or non-executive director.
- He is part of a growing network of Christians in Europe and North America interested in AI and speaks at the Annual European Leadership Forum.
Book Comment
IVP (21 Jan. 2021)
Text Colour Conventions (see disclaimer)- Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2024
- Mauve: Text by correspondent(s) or other author(s); © the author(s)