Faith

On Gospel Study and AI

Brian Stucki

Brian Stucki

— 3 min read

In a recent update to the handbook for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some guidance was added on the use (and usefulness) of artificial intelligence.

Section 38.8.48
Appropriate Use of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) presents opportunities and risks and is continuously changing. AI can enhance learning, facilitate communication, and foster innovation. However, AI cannot substitute for the individual effort or divine inspiration required for personal spiritual growth or genuine relationships with God and others.
AI should be used responsibly. Church members should not use AI to create or disseminate anything that is false, misleading, illegal, or harmful. They should verify AI-generated output for accuracy.

I thought that did well to describe a productive path with AI and its benefits.

Personalizing the Study

One of the benefits of AI is that you can commit to memory the way that you would like information to be presented to you. For instance, I prefer concise and factual responses rather than the "You're totally right, Brian. And your witty response is so funny" responses. So I tell Claude to "keep answer concise, professional, and calm" and it will remember that for every interaction. (I'm so fun at parties.)

So, for your personal Gospel study, you might add to your AI memory system with commands like:

  • I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints so respond to religious and faith questions with that in mind.
  • Every time you give me a scripture reference, make it a clickable link to churchofjesuschrist.org so I can jump directly to the reference in Gospel Library.
  • When I ask about gospel principles, doctrine or topics, include teachings and talks from members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles with links.
  • Any time a book is quoted in a talk or article, give me a link to that book on Amazon.

These aren't knowledge questions. Rather, they are training statements so information can be presented in the way you find it most useful. This makes a huge difference for gospel study.

A Funnel, Not a Lens

AI has become more and more useful with every release. The halluucations become more rare. This is great.

However, when it comes to studying the word of God, I try to remember that there is no substitution for the actual word of God.

An AI summary about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus might tell you that they recalled feeling good earlier in their walk but that does not pierce the soul like the moving record when "they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"

Now that is a phrase you can store deep in your heart to bring forward at every realization of God's guidance in your life.

Let the AI answers push you to the scriptures.

Different Types of Intelligence

It's important to remember that at its core, artificial intelligence is a collection of known things. Helpful and immense knowledge, but a regurgitation nonetheless.

It's no replacement for a direct answer from the Holy Ghost. Nothing compares to a divine helper that knows your desires, pains, fears, and your actual lived experience.

I think often of this quote from Joseph Smith:

"This first comforter, or Holy Ghost, has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is …powerful in expanding the mind [and] enlightening the understanding."

When it comes to intelligence, I'll always prefer it pure rather than artificial.

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