Years ago, there was a bumper sticker that read, “God is my co-pilot.” By using that phrase—for whatever it lacked theologically and practically—the driver of the car was saying he or she relies the most on God for daily living.

Fast forward to today, and millions of people are relying on Artificial Intelligence as their “co-pilot in life.” Among the most popular A.I. systems out there, such as Chat GPT and Claude, there is even one A.I. system literally called Co-Pilot.

Now we have, of course, had A.I. with us for a number of years, but today it is everywhere and used by seemingly everyone. In some ways, these technologies are a blessing, because they save time on tasks and help disseminate information quickly.

In more significant ways, though, it can quickly become a curse, such as in the following ways:

When People Use A.I. for Sinful or Misdirected Purposes

If loneliness is the epidemic in our age, there are reports of many people using A.I. to access harmful and pornographic content. There are people who are substituting human relationships with artificial ones. Sadly, there are college students using it to write their school essays for them or even ministers tempted to have A.I. write their sermons. The rapid advance of A.I. has, like other technologies, enabled a giant leap forward in the sin problem amid our weak human nature.

When We Become too Technology-Dependent

Many of us sleep with our cellphones within arm’s length, get online before getting out of bed and spend hours each day staring at screens. If you are spending more time staring at a screen, or interacting with A.I., than you are sleeping, you are too technology dependent.

When We Lose Our Resourcefulness

Whereas people once had to navigate using printed maps or stopping and asking directions, now we can navigate using digital GPS. If the GPS takes us to the wrong place, or if we rely on it exclusively, we can lose our ability to be resourceful. Similarly, when it comes time to remembering trivia, or needing to look up information, technology allows our brains to get out of practice. When we don’t use it, we lose it.

When We Become Habitually Distracted

Many of us check our phones quite frequently, which turns our focus from what’s going on immediately around us to the digital world. We can quickly be sucked into temptations and turmoil going on online, without being present. As a source of endless entertainment, it can cause us to be endlessly distracted.

For these reasons and more, we need to become more aware of our technology-use tendencies. Sometimes it’s easier to see the problems in others than we do ourselves. Perhaps you might do one of the following:

  • Ask someone close to you to keep you accountable. Ask them to call you on it if you become excessively dependent on A.I. or too distracted by your smartphone.
  • Put away your phones or technology. This could be meal times or for a quiet time. These breaks will give your brain a break and allow you to connect with God and others.
  • Skip A.I. The next time you forget information, don’t immediately Google it. Stop and try to use your brain or ask someone around you.

These are just a few ideas that might help lead to a more balanced life. If we don’t get our technology habits in check, at the end of our days, we just might be regretful about how much of our “heart, soul, mind, and strength” we gave to A.I. instead of the Lord.