Spiritual Deception in the Age of AI

The Promise and Peril of Generative AI

Recent advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI)—digital technology that mimics human cognition—hold the potential to address some of society’s most pressing challenges. From diagnosing disease with unprecedented accuracy and analyzing vast amounts of data to helping identify criminal suspects or find missing persons. And while AI holds immense potential to address societal issues, it can also be weaponized for insidious purposes. AI systems can orchestrate cyberattacks and operate weapons autonomously, even launching military strikes with little-to-no human oversight.

AI-generated deepfakes represent another significant threat. Deepfakes are hyper-realistic digital media including videos, images, and audio. Their uses can range from harmless entertainment—replacing an actor’s face in movie footage with the face of another actor—to malicious. AI-generated deepfakes can be used to manipulate public opinion, damage someone’s reputation, or challenge deeply held religious beliefs. Imagine expertly crafted videos of political or religious leaders making inflammatory statements or endorsing morally questionable positions. Deepfakes could even imitate events surrounding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Prophetic Warnings About Spiritual Deception

Religious teachings have long cautioned believers about the risks posed by false prophets and deceptive signs. Speaking about the Last Days, Jesus Christ offered this warning: “Take heed that no man deceive you; For many shall come in my name, saying—I am Christ—and shall deceive many” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:5-6). He continued by asserting that false Christs and false prophets “shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect…” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1: 22, italics added). The Savior’s admonition highlights the potential for spiritual deception that could challenge the beliefs of even the most faithful saints. Contemporary Church leaders have echoed these sentiments about evil conspirators’ attempts to deceive in the latter days. In his October 2019 General Conference talk, Elder Gary E. Stevenson noted, “Satan, the father of lies and the great deceiver…. has spent millennia calculating and practicing the ability to persuade God’s children to believe that good is evil and evil is good.”[1]

Strategies for Discernment in the Digital Age

We can employ various strategies to contest sophisticated strategies designed to deceive. Here are just three (among others).

1. Evaluate the source of the content. Is it coming from social media or other news outlets known for sensationalism? Or is it coming through official, authoritative channels?

2. Find the original or primary source. Is the content based on second-hand accounts? Or is it coming from eyewitnesses?

3. Consult a variety of sources. For significant current or political events or messages, check several reputable news outlets as well as fact-checking websites like Snopes.com and FactCheck.org.

Spiritual Guidance

Teachings from scriptures and church leaders offer comparable guidance for detecting content that is calculated to lead astray the followers of Jesus Christ.

1. Rely on and compare the content with Divinely inspired sources of truth. Compare it with scriptural teachings about the Last Days found in passages like Matthew 24, Doctrine and Covenants 45, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation 6-19.

2. Use the Holy Ghost to help us evaluate the content. John chapter 14 describes the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of Truth (verse 17), which can teach us all things (verse 26). Doctrine and Covenants 45:57 indicates that those who have received the truth and taken the Holy Spirit as their guide will not be deceived in the latter days.

3. Leverage multiple sources. 2 Corinthians 13:1 states, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” Reports of significant events, statements by political or religious leaders, or any incident involving the return of Jesus Christ, should be verified by multiple sources including firsthand witnesses, regardless of online content that is accompanied by visual or audible evidence.

In an age where AI has the potential to blur the lines further between imitation and reality, the scriptures and church leaders provide guideposts for navigating and exposing digital deception. And using them in combination will help us guard against the threats that are likely to come our way.

Endnotes

[1] Stevenson, Gary E. “Deceive Me Not.” October 2019 General Conference. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/45stevenson?lang=eng; retrieved November 18, 2024.

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