Lately, I have found myself more and more aware—and afraid—of the subtle harm that AI can do to me.

I fear becoming lazy in my research. Efficiency is preferred; quick answers are prized, and the slow, demanding work of research is quietly abandoned. The laborious search through primary sources feels unnecessary when summaries are instantly available. I fear my motivation is eroding, replaced by a happy acceptance of tidy conclusions rather than active studying and synthesising of materials.

I fear losing my ability to analyse, weigh arguments, and arrive at my own convictions. Nuance is left by the wayside. The patient work of discerning between interpretations weakens, and with it my capacity for intelligent judgment. I worry that I will no longer fully appreciate why others see things differently, or that I will stop listening deeply enough to understand perspectives that are different from my own.

I fear becoming parochial in my thinking. Algorithms learn what I prefer and return it to me, reinforcing my assumptions and locking me in my bubble. Gradually, my views harden. I grow more entrenched, more certain that my understanding is the truth while others are lacking or misguided. Openness gives way to superiority and yields to exclusivity.

I fear becoming too lazy to search for the central truth of a biblical text—to wrestle with it, to discern its structure, and to shape a meaningful, memorable outline for teaching or preaching. What once required prayer, struggle, and attentiveness is in danger of being outsourced to ChatGPT.

Most of all, I am deeply afraid that my trust in the Holy Spirit will weaken. That frequent use of AI will quietly shift into dependency—an undetected addiction. I fear that, unconsciously, I may place it on the altar of my heart and fail to see the danger of idolatry. That it might become my paracletos—the one I call alongside to help—rather than the true Paraclete, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.

This fear is not merely about technology. It is about formation—about what kind of thinker, teacher, believer, and worshiper I am becoming.

What about you? Do you have any concerns about your usage of various AI tools? We welcome you to share with blogpastor readers in the comment box.

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