A Lie for the Truth

Can we exchange a lie for the truth? Yes, we can and it happens all the time. Mom: Did you steal the cookies on that tray? Child: No mom,(pointing) he did it! Husband: Did you go shopping again? You know we’re on a budget. Wife: Noooooo! Teacher: Did you cheat on that exam? Student: Noooooo! Prosecutor: Did you have sex with Monica Lewinsky? President Clinton: I did not have sex with that woman! 

Proverbs 12:22-Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

It helps if we convince ourselves something is true. If we work really hard to justify the lies that we tell, then there is no reason to feel bad or to change our life. However, lying will begin to effect our well-being “IF” we have a conscience. And, that’s a big “IF” these days. Lying can create a host of unhealthy consequences. These consequences range from physical to emotional and ultimately will result in spiritual decline. 

Psalm 86:11-Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

Then, why do we lie? We lie to get something. It could be something that we are not supposed to have, like alcohol if we are too young. We could lie on our reśumé to get a job. We could lie to get into a relationship with the object of our desire. It started in the Garden of Eden when Satan cast shade on who God is and what he had said. They fell for it. When Moses brought the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai, one of the big ten no-no’s was telling a lie. The telling of untruths would not have made the hot ten list if it was not one of the major weaknesses that humanity is prone to. 

Sin has seen and unseen consequences.You may get a job if you lie on your reśumé but, you may spend years worrying that one day that the lie could end your career. What about lying to get into a relationship? Or getting caught with liquor when you are underage? We all know that somewhere down the line there could be ramifications to our life or reputation if we are caught. More than that, our lives, families, churches and nations are broken because of the lies that we tell.

John 8:32-And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

We also lie to avoid consequences. A recent case came to me concerning a certain college student who attempted to bribe her professor in Russia. She was a third year student, what was she thinking? Why didn’t she just accept the grade that was due her? Was this the grade that would get her thrown out of the Mathematics* department? Was this the grade that would reveal the truth that she was not keeping up with coursework or worse, that she needed to pursue another career path? Is she avoiding the truth and the consequences of that truth in her attempt to influence her professor’s assessment of her? Is it possible that she is living a lie?

2 Timothy 2:15-Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

The nations of the world seem to be caught up in lies a lot these days. What can we believe? At this moment in history, we have more tools at our disposal to make lies appear real than we ever have had. Our capabilities to doctor a photograph just on our phone is huge. Isn’t it amazing how everything from your school photos to your family vacation look that much better by using a simple edit feature or app on your phone. Whole careers have been made doing that. However, with the computer generated images and artificial intelligence, there has been an exponential growth in the ability to manufacture facts. 

Ephesians 6:14-Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.  

This should make us all question if what we are seeing on social media or news coverage is real. What about bots? Loren* from Westchester County, New York called me the other day and as we were speaking, she sent me several screen shots of the latest political battles she had waged on social media. She stated her opinion and suddenly the time stamp showed me that people quite quickly supported or debated her instantaneously.

Is it the passionate social media soldiers, or was that bots? I don’t know but, I wonder sometimes if a computer program is influencing the process. The arsenal of the lie is also in the algorithm manipulation. Much is made of its’ ability to affect things such as elections and public information. If so, it could be the latest propaganda tool for dictators and freedom haters to use. 

This week I followed the saga of Sam Altman, the wunderkind of artificial intelligence (A.I.) as he seemingly faced challenges in his role at OpenAI. He was fired, he was rehired. Letters were sent by board members to defend and denounce him. Some board members heralded the dangers to humanity that A.I. posed. Others did not agree. Phew, what a whirlwind, and I was following this while trying to cook my green bean, mushroom, garlic, leek side dish, and making a spice rub for the Thanksgiving turkey! 

The secret goings on in the Q * general learning artificial intelligence project seemed at the center of it all.This project may be a deal changer. At least that’s what Ilya Sutskever said. Sutskever was born in what is now Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. At the age of 5, his family immigrated to Israel. He grew up in Jerusalem, and went to University there before completing his education in Canada.

The trajectory of his career brought him to OpenAI where he was leading the so-called, Superalignment project this year. He was their Chief Science Officer and, also on the board which oversees OpenAI. The conflict, which was possibly concerning the safety of AI, has seen Sutskever stepping down from the board and voicing regrets over the firing of Sam Altman. This is all conjecture on my part by being a corporate housewife from Westchester has taught me a few things about board room politics.

Sutskever’ s biggest advocacy is AI safety and much has been written about that. If you are asking yourself what this all has to do with my blog post today, let me explain. This technology is of great concern. We are about to open Pandora’s box. In 2017, Vladimir Putin famously said, whoever leads the world in artificial intelligence in 2030 will rule the world. What did he know? The clocks ticking and 2030 is only 7 years away. 

Sutskever would like to put significant money towards assuring that we stay one step ahead of A.I. The possibility of the deep fake is upon us. The deep fake refers to convincing evidence which exchanges A Lie for the Truth with the help of computer technology. Imagine an interview with a head of state so convincing that you don’t know that it is a computer generated performance. 

How do we navigate a world when we are not sure if a lie is being substituted for the truth? We have to start by staying firmly grounded in the truth of the Bible. We all need to have a network of people that we trust to tell us the truth. It could be a mom, a friend, a pastor etc. Critical thinking and wisdom is important now. Don’t believe everything that you see or hear. Take time to examine the facts. Pray to God for discernment on important issues in your life. 

John 16:13-When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 

* There are three stars this week. One is to change the college major, second is a name change and the third is the actual name of the A.I. general learning project. It is called Q*, and pronounced Q Star.