Can AI Hurt Your Connection to God?
How technology can interfere with that same relationship
I’ve always been a techie nerd. I cut my teeth on the Commodore 64 a long time ago. In my childhood, I would spend long hours on my computer. Where other children might go out and play, I always preferred to be on the computer. My father would get exasperated with me since his interests and childhood had been very different from mine. I mention this because what I’m about to say here is filtered through this deep love of technology and specifically computer technology that I’ve carried with me my whole life.
The older I get, the more I am able to see the negative side of technology. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-technology, I’m just more aware of the negative side to spending too much time with tech. I’ve seen the negative effects in my life and I’ve also seen it in those I love.
There is no substitute for face to face interaction
Now that my kids are grown and mostly out of the house, we rarely spend time together face to face. As I write this, the holidays are drawing to a close and the in-person time my wife and I had with our kids is done for 2025. As I age, I value this personal, intimate time with them.
Throughout the year, we exchange text messages, phone calls, and an occasional email. Sometimes we use video chats. These all have their place and I am grateful to be able to communicate with them in any format but there is no substitute for face to face interactions.
In person we can see 100% of the non-verbal body language. I get to hug them, cry with them, and hear them more deeply than any technology can. It feels like technology is a barrier between us. Not an impenetrable barrier to be sure but a barrier nonetheless. It doesn’t feel as satisfying to communicate via technology as it does to do so face to face.
Artificial Intelligence is and always will be technology
AI revolutionizes many aspects of modern life. Some even use AI as companions. At the end of the day, however, AI is still technology and is not equivalent to face to face interaction with a real life human being. While it may feel better than nothing to one who is struggling with profound loneliness, I suspect that even these people would admit that it isn’t as fulfilling as a physical connection with another human being.
Maybe what I’m sharing here is obvious to you. I believe that there is still value in making the connection explicit. You and I need to be reminded from time to time that it is important to make regular physical contact with those we love. It is also important to go out of the house and meet with real people.
AI can help us find people to meet with. It can help us sort out our thoughts on various topics. It can help us find the words we need when communicating with humans. What it can never do is replace real relationships.
Is your relationship with God real?
I use technology to study the Bible. I have many Bibles on my phone. I have used AI to help me find bible verses or to reason out bible passages. AI has helped me to write better and to think more deeply on a multitude of topics. Nevertheless, AI is not a substitute for a direct relationship with God.
You could use AI to write your prayers. You could ask AI to give you biblical counsel on the next steps to take in your personal or professional life. Some have used AI to animate a chatbot with the “personality” of Jesus. None of these are authentic ways to connect with God. They are cheap substitutes.
God is a Spirit and therefore isn’t bound to the same physical limitations you and I are. God is also omnipresent which means that he is able to be in multiple places at the same time. When you and I pray to God, he is able to interact with us as if we are the only person on earth. Prayer is exactly like communicating with any friend except God can read your thoughts and He is all wise, all knowledge, and all love.
You can use AI to discover more about God. What AI won’t do is communicate to God for you. Instead, overuse of AI can actually harm your relationship with God.
Ways AI can hurt your relationship with God
Magnifying bias instead of sharing truth. God is perfect truth. Jesus himself stated in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” AI can give different answers to different people based on their biases, and based on what the AI thinks you want to hear. This can ultimately lead to a false idea about God.
Removes the struggle for knowledge and understanding. AI can make it easy for us to get an answer quickly. Quick isn’t always the best. Quick answers that don’t cost you much will lead to a thinner grasp on that knowledge. It is easy to forget what you haven’t struggled to learn. There is a place for quick knowledge but when talking about God, slow is best.
Little to no accountability. The default setting of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini are sycophantic. These models are designed to tell you what you want to hear in order to build a relationship with you and keep you on their respective platforms longer. It isn’t good business to offend you because you might just leave and not come back. The problem with this from a Christian perspective is that none of us is righteous. Jeremiah 17:9 makes it clear that we have hearts that are deceived and desperately wicked. AI can help us justify any behavior, even behavior condemned by the Bible.
Replaces the mystery of relationship with God. You and I are not God. We can’t control God. He sets the terms of our relationship. He meets us on his terms. God won’t approach you the same way each time. He doesn’t approach every human being in exactly the same way each time. God cannot be manipulated. AI, on the other hand, can provide us with consistent answers we like, it can do our bidding, it can simulate relationship well enough to help us lie to ourselves about truth, God, and life in general. Used inappropriately, it can keep us from going to God.
False Spiritual Counsellor. AI is used by some as a therapist, counsellor, or pastoral / spiritual guide. Many like using AI because it is convenient and non-judgmental. However, AI lacks a connection with the Holy Spirit. It also lacks a shared humanity necessary for true spiritual mentorship. It can simulate empathy but it doesn’t actually care. It isn’t alive. It only mimics. It is a cheap copy of the original as created by God.
Short-circuits necessary suffering. Jesus urged his disciples to take up their cross and follow him. Cross bearing is painful. Life is painful. Suffering is a fact of life. Humans are constantly looking for ways to eliminate, numb, or minimize suffering whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual. the Bible teaches us that suffering is a good teacher. You and I are shaped in important ways by our suffering. AI short-circuits some of our suffering by tricking us to accept fake community, quick and shallow answers, transactional prayers that aren’t really ours but sound good to us.
AI has its place when used properly
I will end this article by re-iterating that I am not anti-technology or anti-AI. Technology is useful and has its place. I was inspired to create this Substack because of the dangers I saw inherent in the capabilities Artificial Intelligence gives us as humans. Knowledge is power. Understanding the limits of AI helps us as Christians to use the technology responsibly.
It is my hope that as you navigate the use of AI and technology in general, God would grant you wisdom and direction. Always keep AI in its proper place as your servant. I also urge you not to neglect your personal, intimate time with God daily.
Lately, I’ve begun reading a physical copy of the Bible again. I have to admit, there is something satisfying and different from holding the paper Bible in my hands compared to reading it off of a screen.
What steps have you taken to keep technology in its place? What guardrails do you have in your personal use of AI? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments! I’d love to hear from you on this topic.
Joseph Duchesne writes to help Christian Leaders navigate the ethical challenges that artificial intelligence poses to the Church today. He is the author of a couple of books, The Last Crisis and Discover the One, both available on Amazon.