Do Not Fear AI. Fear God.

© 2026, Gary Gocek. https://gary.gocek.org/, gary@gocek.org

Artificial general intelligence is imminent. Have faith in humanity and God.

1. I don't have the credentials to predict the evolution of AI. The most-credentialed tech researchers aren't sure when artificial general intelligence (AGI) will be achieved, but they commonly believe it will happen around 2030-2035.^Metaculus Artificial superintelligence (ASI) and Universal Intelligence (UAI) are further off, and definitions are fluid, with predictions ranging from 2040 to 2050. Thanks for reading, but this essay will soon seem as nonsensical as ghosts, Bigfoot, and extraterrestrial abductions. In any case, I believe:
   • God is.
   • AI will eventually be able to evolve into successive generations until AGI, ASI, and UAI are achieved.
   • Energy and water consumption by AI must be controlled. The possibilities of AI-assisted intrusive surveillance and oppression must be controlled. American AI is preferable to communist Chinese AI. In any case, AI is here to stay.
2. In 2026, AI lacks the subjectivity and consciousness to perceive God. The definition of a future UAI with a perception of God would not match the definition of AI in 2026.
   • Someday, AI will become indistinguishable from humanity to most humans most of the time, with respect to conversational interactions. AI will believe it has a soul and a relationship with God. If AI thinks so, and humans can't tell, the technical truth is moot.
3. God did more than to send angels and prophets to make announcements, and did more than use the Holy Spirit to assist discernment. God chose to become incarnate in the hypostasis of Jesus, comprising two natures—human and divine.^Noonan There might come a time when humans cannot distinguish between humans and AI, but humans will always be able to distinguish between AI and God.
4. God will not choose to become incarnate as AI, since God did not create AI. The human ability to create AI was a gift from God, and some humans may have discerned the creation of AI as their God-given purpose, but creating AI was a human choice. Maybe humans will find a way to become incarnate as AI in the two natures of human and artificial, an aspect of transhumanism. I hesitate to predict that even UAI will perceive God. There are three other perceptions of God:
   • the human perception;
   • Jesus's dual-natured human/divine perception;
   • the as-yet-unrealized, dual-natured human/AI perception.
5. Pope Leo's 2026 encyclical discusses transhumanism, including lifespan enhancements, genetic testing of fetuses, artificial insemination, and more.^Leo Leo sees a world of gender fluidity and rising suicide rates enabled by sycophantic AI chatbots. Fair enough, but his 42,000-word manifesto doesn't require an AI summary: I'm from the Magisterium, and I'm here to help.^Reagan After 1,500 years, the Magisterium's wisdom is that condoms are intrinsically evil.^Pius AI as we experience it today is a few years old, and Leo's encyclical will soon be technically out of date.
   • When popes assert the supremacy of papal discernment, they discourage the lesser faithful from personal, prayerful discernment.
   • As popes continually identify grave threats to humanity, they imply a lack of confidence in God's creation of humans in God's image, and a lack of trust in the faith of Christians. I am a sinner, but not because of a condom or an AI chatbot.
6. The Pentateuch, Moses, the Magnificat, Paul, and many notable Bible passages tell us to fear God. This fear refers to awe, reverence, humility, and loyalty. This is not how humans should relate to artificial intelligence. Eventually, many God-fearing Christians will come to use AI in prayerfully discerned ways to extend their relationships with God. We sinful and finite humans have always been mystified by the infinite perfection and glory of God. AI and transhumanism can help humanity. As humans evolve rationally and culturally, our perception of AI will change. I have faith that this perception will be balanced by our inherent, unbreakable humanity. If humans can resist Satan, we can resist AI and avoid surveillance-based oppression.
7. Do not fear AI. Fear God.

References:

• Leo XIV. Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2026. I have not read the whole encyclical. Microsoft CoPilot assured me that (5) is accurate. The bullet points within (5) are my interpretations.
• Metaculus: When will the first weakly general AI system be devised, tested, and publicly announced? 2026. https://www.metaculus.com/questions/3479/when-will-agi-arrive/
• Noonan, Peggy: Can 'We the People' Survive the AI Revolution? Published in the Wall Street Journal on June 20, 2026. Ms. Noonan commented on God's choice to become incarnate, albeit in a less theologically general way than presented in (3).
• Pius XI. Casti Connubii. Vatican City: 31 December 1930. Pius, and Paul VI in 1968, use the Latin phrase intrinsece inhonestum that in 2026 is commonly translated into English as intrinsically evil.
• Reagan, Ronald. News Conference, August 12, 1986. In Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1986. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help."