Tag: AI

A thought about AI

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DON HEBERT

As I write this, artificial intelligence is changing the world. It has been compared to the printing press, electricity, and the smartphone in terms of its impact. Whether you notice it or not, AI is already part of daily life through search engines, social media, smart devices, and digital assistants. If these systems suddenly stopped working, a lot of modern society would slow down or even stop.

Although we may think of AI as machines doing the thinking for us, AI doesn’t understand. It can process data, predict patterns, and generate responses based on information created by people. Think of it this way. If I said, “Good morning ladies and…” and stopped right there, you would know I was most likely going to say, “… ladies and gentlemen.” AI does something similar. It can look at thousands of sentences that began the same way as the sentence in my example and determine the next word was gentlemen. Today’s most advanced tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, and Copilot, are often called large language models. They are powerful prediction systems, not living minds, meaning, they can be used to streamline research or see the sum of what others have said about a topic. Some pastors even use it in writing their sermons. AI brings both promise and concern.

For Christians, a question of concern is not about what AI can do, but what it may do to our understanding of ourselves. The Bible begins by teaching that human beings are made in the image of God. In Genesis 1:26–28, people are described as bearing God’s likeness and given responsibility over creation. In Genesis 2:7, God breathes life into humanity. This means human life is not mechanical. It is personal and spiritual. No machine shares this breath of life. Because of this, I’m skeptical of any Christian writing that is written solely by AI. A computer may reflect the inspiration in a human’s writings, but it has no inspiration.

In this changing age, technology can be useful. Yet it must remain a tool, not a master. Our calling remains steady: to worship God, love others, and live as people made in His image.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10

Impact of AI on Southern Gospel Music

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JEFF TURNER

Leading music publishers from the southern gospel genre recently met to discuss the implications of artificial intelligence or AI on songs, songwriters and song demos within the industry. The meeting was said to be highly productive. Rick Shelton, Vice President of Daywind Music Publishing sums up their thoughts.

“It’s my personal belief that songs intended to reach souls with the Gospel must becreated by souls who are living in relationship with Jesus. If the angels can’t sing the songs of the redeemed, how can we allow algorithms to write the songs of the redeemed?” Said Shelton.

The consortium agreed on several key points:

1- The songs promoted should reflect the heart and efforts of human creators.

2- The integrity of the songwriting and pitching process must remain beyond reproach, applying equally to both music and lyrics.

3- The intended use of AI is never to create the lyric or melody itself, but rather to provide a demonstration of what the original song sounds like.

4- To alleviate concerns artists may have regarding the originality of the songs submitted for their consideration, the publishers are willing to provide a signed statement with each submission, affirming its authenticity.

Furthermore, the publishers said they were committed to an on-going dialogue and education with the songwriters they represent regarding recognition of ethical boundaries.

Members of this committee are Rick Shelton of Daywind Music Publishing, Greg Bentley and Chris White of Crossroads / Chris White Music, Regi Stone and Randy Cox of Blank Slate Music, Joel Lindsey of Sunset Gallery Music and Dave Clark of Sunday Best Music.