Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and the Image of God

Download or read book Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and the Image of God written by Peter J. Bellini and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-09-19 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can artificial intelligence (AI) attain human-level consciousness? And if so, should the church minister salvation to AI? Through engaging philosophy of mind, AI research, the cognitive sciences, neuroscience, and theological anthropology, Dr. Bellini attempts to answer these questions. The hypothesis is if the hard problem of consciousness can be solved, and if human consciousness is replicable in AI, then attaining artificial general conscious intelligence (AGCI) is possible, and perhaps needs to be evangelized or discipled, as some claim. On the contrary, if the hard problem of consciousness cannot be solved and human consciousness is not replicable in AI, then AGCI is not possible, and it does not need to be evangelized. And in either case, how can the church begin a theological conversation with AI with its potential to match and exceed human intelligence and performance? A theological position on consciousness and the image of God is proposed, demonstrating the uniqueness of human consciousness in contrast with AI and artificial consciousness. A thorough exposition of the image of God is offered to serve as a cornerstone for any future conversation on a theological perspective of machines (AI).