Elder Bednar frames President Nelson's words, "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost" within the coming advances of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
AI boyfriends and girlfriends are already available for companionship, support, affirmation, and assistance. This will lead to "artificial infidelity" with AI boyfriends and girlfriends.
AI will be both "perilous" and provide "opportunities." Everything depends on how we use it. Will we use AI to replace our own "work" and growth? Or will we use it in a supportive role?
now brothers and sisters consider the following perilous
possibility an AI developed companion a girlfriend or boyfriend this is already
out there can be meticulously designed to offer engaging and addictive
experiences appealing to a wide range of emotional and social
needs this personalization creates a sense of connection and understanding
making interactions with these virtual companions highly
[Music]
appealing all right welcome to Quick show my name is Greg Matson and I am your host in this episode we are talking
about Elder bednar's recent address to the young adults worldwide about
spiritual AI yes spiritual AI this is a fascinating talk talking about the uh
development of technology is it good is it evil um and then just some as Elder
bedar always has some fascinating points to discuss on this and so I'm really
looking forward to this commentary now this episode is brought to you by scripture notes which happens to have
its own spiritual AI called Daniel let me show you how this works I put in a
simple question why does Lehi discuss opposition in all things what is the context of this statement just want to
pull up more information on it right so so lehi's discourse on opposition in all things is found in the Book of Mormon
tells me where it's at what is the context he's talking to his son Jacob and then gives me other points of
context it's about the Plan of Redemption it's about agency and choice it's about the creation and the fall the
role of opposition in growth right and then gives me a concluding uh paragraph on this this is It's just fascinating
what this thing can do go to scripture notes.com scripture notes.com
to look into how this application can work for you I use it for all of my scripture study scripture notes.com all
right so in this episode Elder bnard is going to give us a kind of an arc of of
historical comments uh where we are today this talk is actually called
things as they really are 2.0 back in uh I think it was 2009 I want to say he
gave another talk just called things as they really are 1.0 I suppose so 15 years later he's
coming back and and talking now about where technology is today in our spiritual lives again is it good is it
evil love what he has to say let's start off by talking about Joseph Smith and his vision for Zion the Prophet Joseph
Smith declared the building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of
Zion in every age it is a theme upon which prophets priests and Kings have
dwelt with peculiar Delight they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which
we live and fired with Heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written
and prophesied of this our day but they died without the sight it
is left for us to see participate in and help to roll forward the Latter Day
Glory okay first of all I just want to bring up the comment this is something I talk a lot about I love what Joseph
Smith says here he says it is left for us to see participate in and help to
roll forward the latterday glory so these are going to be some themes that uh uh Elder Bedard goes over it is about
work it's about participation he ties these things in with technology but
that's one of the great things about the restored gospel we are a participatory gospel
our vision is about who we become working through adversity gaining
knowledge which technology has a a big part to play in our lives today right
and trying to become more like our Heavenly parents on another occasion the
prophet revealed that the Heavenly priesthood bearers will Unite with the Earthly to bring about those great
purposes a work that God and angels have contemplated with delight for gener
Generations past that fired The Souls of the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets a
work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of Darkness
the renovation of the Earth the glory of God and the salvation of the Human
family a work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of
Darkness the renovation of the Earth the glory of God and the salvation of the
Human family the spiritual significance of the latter days has been the focus of
prophetic attention for centuries and the special season in which we live is now and will continue
to be filled with stunning spiritual developments and happenings okay so what
he's doing here as he's setting the stage to talk about the the time that we live in and that the time that we live
in every that all the prophets have looked for forward to is a time as he's going to show that
is filled with technology and it's not just a matter of the amazement right The Wonder of all
the technology and while these are incredible times he's going to show that it is how the technology is used to
spread the gospel to gather Israel and when used properly is a tool for all of
us to participate in those last days and in the work of
God all of these advancements are part of the Lord hastening his work in the
latter days in 1862 briam young declared every Discovery in science and
art that is really true and useful to mankind has been given by direct
Revelation from God though but few acknowledge it it has been given with a
view to prepare the way for the ultimate Triumph of truth and the Redemption of
the Earth from the power of sin and Satan all right so if this is true what
president Brigham Young says here the way he has framed this then technology all of the scientific advancements are
gifts from God is a perhaps in a sense a pulling back of the veil a little bit
and often times we might look at them as well these are things that are evil this new knowledge is evil but is it really
is knowledge itself evil is an advancement in science which is a
a it is knowledge it's knowledge and it's use is that in and of itself evil
of course it's not Brigham Young here is saying that these are all gifts from God so it's matter of what it's a matter of
how does the world use this and how does the world interpret it what I mean by
that is what narrative is built off of science you have a lot of atheists as as
an example today that are very entrenched in a an Enlightenment
scientific worldview and whatever can be proven through science is true and
everything outside of that is not and science has been used in many ways to
create an an anti-religion anti-faith narrative but science itself right in
technology itself these are gifts from God and the question is is how are these things used I mean one way we can look
at this is you have film right and then you have the internet and so look at
pornography well these film and and and and uh the internet must be evil but
it's how we use these things and so what we're really doing is we are taking gifts from God or social media right
look at how social media is used and the way it has messed up so many young women
especially anxiety depression going through the roof but these are gifts
from God that mankind have taken and have turned to poison Elder Bard is
going to give a quote here from my probably my favorite Prophet besides Joseph Smith right David omay which I
think is great in 1966 president David O McKay prophesied
scientific discoveries that stagger the IM imagination would make possible the
preaching of the Gospel to every Kindred tongue and people C its purpose and
further discoveries latent with such poent
power either for the blessing or destruction of human nature
human beings as to make man's responsibility in controlling them the
most gigantic ever placed in human hands
but this age is fought with limit Limitless perils as well as with Untold
possibilities consider that that was
19666 I emphasize that neither digital Innovations nor rapid change are in and
of themselves good or evil rather I caution Technologies can
have on our souls and our relationships with other people I emphasize that
neither digital Innovations nor rapid change are in and of themselves good or
evil rather I cautioned that the real challenge is to understand both
Innovations and changes within the context of the Eternal plan of
happiness I also posed two questions that can help us assess if we are using
these Technologies properly I offer two questions for consideration
in your personal pondering and prayerful studying question number one does the
use of various Technologies and media invite or impede the constant
companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life question number two does the time
you spend using various Technologies and media enlarge or restrict your cap
capacity to live to love and to serve in meaningful ways okay so we're looking at
two things here um look looking at first what David om had to say right about
technology and this is true of all knowledge including technology scientific knowledge and that is that we
will live in a time where where these advancements will give us Limitless perils and Untold possibilities and the
theme that he's creating here with these quotes from the prophets is that these technological advances are a means
through which the Lord will be able to preach the gospel through us to all of
the world and to gather Israel and that's probably the case of all knowledge all the time right it's like
Adam and Eve partake of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil which is not evil it is the knowledge of Good and
Evil of Good and Evil and in that Fallen State how many of us
choose evil even when we have a knowledge of of of the good and the evil it is much more difficult to choose the
good and so as water runs downhill and Technology advances us that technology
is often going to be used for evil and we're going to see much much much more of that so like the tree of knowledge of
Good and Evil technological advances in the words of President David omay give
us Limitless perils and Untold possibilities so this is a lot like
money right money allows for a lot to happen a lot of good can happen I mean
look how much money the church is banked up but money itself is going to offer
Limitless perils and Untold possibilities and by
the way in the New Testament it's not money that is evil it is the love of
money in other words placing it up higher than Eternal values as you strive to learn the Gospel
of Jesus Christ and perform the work you have to do I specifically exort you to be
wise in your use of contemporary technological
tools Innovations such as artificial intelligence have the potential to both
assist you in receiving mag magnificent blessings and two diminish and suffocate
your moral agency please do not allow the supposed
accuracy speed and ease of modern Technologies to entice you to avoid or
circumvent the righteous work that invites into your life the blessings you
will need my beloved brothers and sisters there are no spirit
shortcuts or quick fixes I now will focus upon the three
subjects to which I gave emphasis in that previous statement artificial
intelligence moral agency and righteous
work artificial intelligence often referred to as AI is technology that
enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem
solving capabilities in recent years the development and application of AI Technologies has moved
forward at an exceptionally rapid pace and impacted almost every field of human
endeavor Medicine Science Education architecture and construction
communication economics retail manufacturing and many many others okay
now again AI here is being put into a bright light it's like the these are things that have helped out
immensely and will continue to help out but there are going to be
perils that he's going to discuss here mostly what he's going to discuss is the perils individually to us now ai will
probably be able to be used in in in horrific way soon if not already in in
to to the masses but this discussion here this this talk here is about you personally
and and what it can rob from you and the use of AI is ever more
widespread the Limitless perils and Untold possibilities remember that
phrase from president McKay Limitless perils and Untold
possibilities become ever more evident this remarkable technology
offers the potential of advancing knowledge improving our quality of life
facilitating communication and connection enhancing our personal learning and growth and fostering
creativity and Innovation AI also has the potential to
obscure our true identity as Sons and Daughters of a loving Heavenly Father
distract us from the Eternal truths and righteous work necessary for spiritual
growth engender pride and a diminished acknowledgment of our dependence upon
God and distort or replace meaningful human
interaction love this when they are learned they think they are wise and
they hearken not unto the counsel of God for they set it aside supposing they
know of themselves wherefore their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth
them not and they Shall Perish but to be learned is good good if
they hearken unto the counsels of God you know it's interesting here
because that that scripture is you know was was being used at a time where there
was very limited technology right it it's I me certainly compared to
today but it still applies because the principle still applies what would that mean well the Learned whatever that
means at the time are going to be a little more prideful right they're going
to default because of the rule of numbers they're going to default more to
Pride they're in their Ivory Towers but that doesn't mean the knowledge is
bad right to be but to be learned is good if it's going to be used for
righteous purposes it's just that it's usually not so he's using the term
learned here as to what AI is going to provide for all of us it's not just a matter of now getting a
degree it's not just a matter of what do I search on the internet we're all the way now up to the level that you and I
and anybody else can be learned in the sense that we can type in a question to
chat GPT and produce an essay or even a book on the topic so we're all wise
right now brothers and sisters consider the following perilous possibility
an AI developed companion a girlfriend or boyfriend this is already out there
can be meticulously designed to offer engaging and addictive experiences appealing to a wide range of
emotional and social needs this personalization creates a
sense of connection and understanding making interactions with these virtual
companions highly appealing highly appealing and how many
people in in in the next 12 months as these things develop further and further
right because you can go online and you can pick up this boyfriend or this girlfriend and and put in your own likes
and it's going to learn who you are it's going to be able to respond to specifically to your needs how many
people are going to be addicted to this companion how many people will carry
this as their assistant so to speak this boyfriend or this girlfriend around with
them 247 and use it for their self-esteem use it for their comfort use it for their
support it's it's really very concerning the Allure is further heightened by
their 247 availability and the absence of the complexities often found in authentic
Human Relationships from remembering important dates to responding in a consistently
and understanding manner these AI companions are programmed to fulfill
idealized companionship roles making them especially addictive and let me say
something else here because imagine uh imagine this
being now as it really learns you right really really learns you imagine you're
using this all the time and now and you're married and now you're comparing
it to your husband or your wife constantly this is what
my AI spouse says as compared to my real
spouse isn't this the ideal for me how large is that Chasm going to
grow and how prevalent is this idea these assistants
these boyfriends girlfriends husband and's wives going to be in a a society's
everyday life distorting perceptions of things as they really are in human
relationships furthermore virtual companions specifically designed to appeal to and
evolve with a person's emotional needs May wreak havoc in previously safe
relationships like carbon monoxide such virtual Rel relationships may become the
Invisible Killer of real relationships counterfeit emotional
intimacy May displace real life emotional intimacy the very thing which binds two
people together a person may find comfort and solace in a virtual companion in a way
that erodes Mutual dependence between a husband and a wife and some individuals
may fall into to this trap without realizing it is a violation of the
exclusive commitment to a spouse because a virtual companion is not real and does
not count as another person always remember that an AI
companion is only a mathematical algorithm you think about this
again uh I mean he's implying here that you're cheating to some degree right you're you're you're you're you're
you're breaking the Integrity of your Covenant relationship with each other as a husband and a wife with someone that
isn't real with someone that doesn't exist it is an
artificial infidelity but it's still an infidelity I would say an
artificial infidelity it does not like you it does
not care it really does not know if you
exist or not to repeat it is a set of
computer equations that will treat you as an object to be acted upon if you let
it please do not let this technology entice you to become an
object this example is but one of millions of potential perils with
artificial intelligence my int is not to suggest that artificial intelligence is
inherently bad it is not nor am I saying we should not use the many capabilities
of AI in appropriate ways to learn to communicate to lift and brighten lives
and to build and strengthen the Church of course we should we should not be
afraid of or attempt to hide from AI but the righteous possibilities of
this amazing technolog olical tool can be realized only if we are aware of and
guard against its perils to navigate the complex intersection of spirituality and
Technology latterday Saints should humbly and prayerfully one identify
gospel principles that can guide their use of artificial intelligence and two
strive sincerely for the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the spiritual gift
of Revelation I invite you to review and study the AI guiding principles
developed and distributed by the church early this destion box these principles
inform the church's use of artificial intelligence and provide a strong Foundation upon which you can build your
personal safeguards against The Perils of inappropriate technology usage Okay so
also you know this goes right along what with what I try to do with a channel here with a with a podcast and that is
provide awareness and and and so I I love the principle here right the principle here
is look there are perils and and what are those perils now
it's up to you to make your own decision use your as as Elder Bard is going to go over here your own moral
agency between good and evil you get to do that but what he is providing here is
and awareness couched in a an inspirational message inspired by the spirit and I
would say along with prophetic Vision but awareness is key especially in in in
a world where again our cultural shifts are at break next speed and our technological shifts are at break next
speed we can get swallowed up with these things very quickly and not know what to do in his first General Conference of
as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of latterday saints president
Russell M Nelson emphasized the importance of personal revelation in our
lives he said our savior and Redeemer Jesus
Christ will perform some of his mightiest Works between now and when he
comes again we will see miraculous indications that God the father and his
son Jesus Jesus Christ preside over this church in majesty and
Glory but in coming days it will not be possible to survive
spiritually without the guiding directing and comforting and constant
influence of the Holy Ghost okay now that when elder bner
draws that in here and puts this in to the context of artificial intelligence
that really changes to some degree I mean the principle is the same but is AI
going to overwhelm us to the point is that what's going to do it is that how is the only way that
we're going to be able to survive artificial intelligence is through the Holy Ghost the constant influence of the
Holy Ghost certainly there are temptations that uh may increase and and Poss you
know perilous possibilities as as we have access to so many more
things and will have access to so many more things and people but maybe AI is
that driving force that is going to confuse us so much whether manipulation or
or an assistant deep fakes that we can't even think of yet at this time how those
things might apply to try and manipulate us to a spefic specific ideology agenda
political perspective Etc I previously indicated that artificial intelligence has the
potential to diminish and suffocate our moral agency he loves that phrase what
does that statement mean and how could such an effect occur and moral agency is
a central element in God's plan to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life
of his sons and daughters so glad when that's brought the very term moral agency is
instructive synonyms for the word moral can include good honest virtuous and
honorable synonyms for the word agency can include action activity and work
hence moral agency can be understood as the ability and privilege to choose and
to act for ourselves in ways that are good honest
virtuous and honorable I I love that he talks about action here with agency it's
not a matter of just choice or we might say that actually our actions are the
manifestations of our choices our real choices and what our real beliefs are
but it's works it is our works and what we choose to do that defines the
direction that we want our lives to go that defines our love for God that
defines our love for others it's action and and this goes back to lehi's words
about uh you know Elder bedar here has covered half of the phrase but he talked
about you know there are uh things that are to be acted upon but but we're the
ones who are supposed to act upon other things we need to act those are our
works the manifestation of what our actual beliefs are and and this is what
helps us to become God's creations include both things to act and things to
be acted upon and importantly moral agency is the divinely designed power of
independent action that empowers us as God's children to become agents to act and not
simply objects to be acted upon please note the fundamental
purposes for the exercise of agency are to love one another and to choose God
the two great commandment we have received moral agency to seek after and
act in accordance with eternal truth act the vital importance of moral agency is
highlighted in the scriptural account of the premortal council Lucifer rebelled against the
father's plan and significantly his Defiance was focused directly on the principle of
moral agency wherefor because that Satan rebelled against me and sought to
destroy the agency of man I caused that he should be cast
down the adversaries selfish scheme was
to strip away from the Sons and Daughters of God the gift to become agents unto themselves who could act in
righteousness his intent was that all of heavenly
father's children should become objects that could only be acted
upon truth is knowledge of things as they really are artificial intelligence cannot
simulate imitate or replace the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives
no matter how sophisticated and elegant AI technology ultimately may become
it simply can never bear witness of the father and the son reveal the truth of
all things or sanctify those who have been who have repented and been
baptized truth is knowledge of things as they really will
be as we are wise preserve our ex preserve an exercise our moral agency to
love God and serve our brothers and sisters and take the holy spirit for our
guide we can avoid deception and prosper spiritually in the challenging and
blessed times in which we live so another comment here and I talk about this quite a bit but you know there are
two arcs of time so truth here he says are things as they really will
be that is not the the secular view of things right in
in other words what he says the truth is is what of things as they really will be those things that really will be are
based off of Prophecy and a vision of the beginning to the end that God already has and that many prophets have
seen and that those prophets have written in scripture but that that Arc
of time is dispensational and it is one that sees
constantly the light of the Gospel the authority of the priesthood coming into
the world and growing and increasing and then being shut off
completely or or in other instances much of the truths removed and then a little
time later there is another profit there is a new opening of a dispensation the keys are given the knowledge is given
the Visions are given and again we start the whole thing back up again and then
it gets shut down until ultimately we we got Joseph Smith in
1830 with the church being created the restoration of all things
beginning and finally building toward a Zion people on the other side is the
secular timeline which is one of call it cultural Evolution and that is you know similar
to what you get with biological evolution it is we start off as basically a cultural
amibas and then we we end up in this flourishing society as new men and new
women that are uh in in a state of utopia and this is the idea of
progressivism right this is this is that's what progressivism is we're progressing constantly to this new state
of of of Utopia which is why there is very little focus on that side of civilizations that
start falling apart and what causes them to fall apart now here Elder Bednar is
going to bring in again this idea of moral agency work and
creation along with this new knowledge and and Truth an understanding of heavenly father's plan of Happiness
helps us to recognize that righteous work is a necessity for Spiritual
progress as Sons and Daughters of God each of us has a divine nature and
Destiny and has inherited spiritual capacities from him
our heavenly father and his beloved Son are creators and they have entrusted to us
in Morality portions of their creative Powers our particular ability to work
and create is significant spiritually precisely because it is Central to the
father's plan and constitutes one of the ultimate expressions of our divine
potential it's it's interesting that if you you go back again we've talked about this but if you go back to Genesis and
you go back to the Adam and Eve account and you look at the things that you learn there right man and woman built in
or created in the image of God you know just these simple simple things that we used to just take for granted another
one is even the curses that are given um which are interesting now because in the
temple you only have Adam's curses there are no Eve's curses there in interestingly enough but uh in the
scriptural accounts all of the scriptural accounts right you have Adam who has to work by the sweat of his brow
and and we can look at them as the curses from the fall but really what it is is in many ways it's a blessing of
growth you're going to have to work you participate you have to learn to
progress through your work and then with women even the the uh
the the Pains of Labor in the sense of of delivering
children is also an issue of uh adversity and and
pain and growth but these these simple ideas that
are found in that that Adam and Eve account are being tossed aside I would say even in Christianity more
broadly the idea that we are participants and workers in the plan and
that our works do matter as Elder Bednar here is eloquently stating that he's not
talking about just a belief just an acceptance right it it is work and that
even our moral agency is a matter of action and creation president Thomas S
Monson explained God left the world unfinished for men and women to work their skill
upon he left the electricity in the cloud the oil in the earth he left the
Rivers unbridged and the forests unfill and the cities unbuilt God gives to us the challenge of
raw materials not the ease of finished things interesting he leaves the
pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved that we might
know the joys and glories of creation that's awesome it's another phrase to
please burn into your brain the joys and glories of cre
creation moral agency becoming an agent and righteous work are interrelated and
bound together in truly powerful ways consider for example the def
definition of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as set set forth in the lectures
on faith nice faith in Christ is the first principle in revealed religion the
foundation of all righteousness and the principle of action in all intelligence
beings the spiritual gift of faith in Christ entails the exercise of our
agency to act and follow him live his teachings keep his Commandments bind
ourselves to him through covenants trust in his promises and meekly accept his will and
timing in our lives it's interesting because what he's saying is is that AI is something that is going to subst
can substitute these things for us right that's what he's that's what he's saying here he's giving us a comparison here
don't let AI take these things away from you don't let AI take away your moral
agency your action your ability to create yourself acting in accordance with his
Doctrine and correct principles that the Redeemer has proclaimed is essential
because faith without works is dead we also learn in the lectures on
faith faith is not only the principle of action but of power also whether in
heaven or on Earth faith in Jesus Christ always leads
to righteous action which increases our spiritual capacity and
power therefore faithful Disciples of Christ are workers anxiously engaged
because the power is in them wherein they are agents unto
themselves Dev devoted disciples consistently and conscientiously according to their
individual abilities and circumstances act as agents to do or
make something in both the temporal and spiritual aspects of their lives and in
their service to others understanding that faith in the savior is a principle of action and of
power suggests an ongoing pattern of righteous work that is a fundamental
expression of Reliance upon and trust in him and a source of learning and
growth for these important reasons work is essential for our spiritual
progression president Ezra Benson taught ours is a gospel of work purposeful
unselfish and rendered in the spirit of the True Love Of Christ only thus may we grow in Godly
attributes only thus may we become worthy instruments in the hands of the
Lord now let me talk really straight with you one of my great
concerns is that over Reliance on AI technology will cause us to become
spiritually slothful and shallow and to Forfeit the blessings
made possible through righteous work I think right now we can look at this and say well okay sure we can
understand that concept what he's saying to some degree uh you know in writing a talk I
think he's going to give this example about writing a talk are you going to let he's asks the question how many uh
people have written their talks for Sunday this week in sacrament meeting through Ai and that's what they're going
to they're just going to give that talk that but but I think that that is really a small manifestation of what he's
really speaking of as AI continues to grow and it becomes gives us the ability
to uh make our lives much much easier what else will it take over for
us what else can we turn over to it and and that's really so much of what
actually drives technology is convenience look at the convenience that
we have today and driving things through with technology to to create more and
more convenience and AI may be the the ultimate
convenience Creator and convenience is not a gospel principle but work is
creation is action is faith and trust are he's going to finish with this
admonition now my beloved brothers and sisters please always
remember we should not sell our spiritual Birthright
of knowing the joys and glories of creation for a mess of technological
pottage be not deceived God is Not mocked for whatsoever a man Seth that
shall he also reap for he that Seth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption but he that Seth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life
Everlasting the law of the Harvest is true yesterday
today and forever okay so I I think just amazing talk here on on AI and probably where
it's taking us what I like about it again is awareness it is giving us an awareness and in that way because of the
awareness it is a warning how will we use Ai and if we
have the right principles in place as AI grows in its functionality its
practicality into our daily lives then we can use the same principles over and
over again understanding that we do not want to replace the work and glory of God which
is our immortality and eternal life our ability to become through faith and
creation and action and work I think it's very interesting again how he just
he's just beating the drum on the the equivalence really
of moral agency and action I also think that if we look at
the term artificial intelligence and we look at how intelligence is used in the scriptures where it is
essentially uh something it's our spirit it is light it is
knowledge and in this sense it is artificial light artificial knowledge
and really void of the spirit we've got a lot of exciting things that we're going to see with AI coming forward but
how will it change our lives and how are we going to react to it I know that even coming up in rootech I've heard from a
couple of people on the inside that there are really some very exciting projects that the church is working on
by using AI I showed you how scripture study just through scripture notes is
changing by using AI there's a lot of positive things that you can do with
technology there's a lot of positive things you can do with money the question is what role will AI play
in our lives thanks for listening