This book-length essay comes at AI technology through a compelling examination of the author's own history of faith, crisis of faith, and her ongoing project to understand the human in relation to the three other positions in her title. It's a remarkably clear-headed appreciation of our cultural moment, free of both hype and moral panic.
It anticipates a dystopic future in which human beings will be measured by their talents in order to predict their future and reproduction of the human species will be controlled on the basis of each human being's DNA potential. The picture shows what we fail to grasp if we try to measure reality and anticipate what individuals can do, achieve, and strive for.
This work has been foundational for thinking about human-technology interactions and continues to be influential in the work of those like Damien P. Williams who write at the crossroads of the humanities and AI.
The article describes the danger posed by Albert Borgmann's device paradigm to the values of the Kingdom of God, which aim towards human flourishing, in Latinx communities. And proposes a view of Christian education to address digital technologies/culture, which grounds AI and which AI is a part of.
I want to nominate this work because it should be a critical part of the discussion between AI and Consciousness, especially as understood from the Vedantic perspective. AI provokes fascinating questions about the nature of knowledge and consciousness, and the Vedantic perspective provides fascinating insight the oneness of all beings, insight into the limited body-mind consciousness in the relative world and the absolute consciousness; and illumines human flourishing by leading humanity to turn within to understand the non-difference between the relative (self) and the absolute (Self).
Estes is one of the few theologians who has a positive take on the ability of AI to increase human flourishing. Some positive voices are needed for your canon also.
It raises interesting questions as to the *ends* of intelligence, the relationship between intelligence and consciousness or sentience, and the place of humanity in a universe where sentient, conscious beings no longer have a monopoly on intelligence.
The article contains results from empirical studies describing the effect of generative AI on work practices and knowledge acquisition, two key elements of human flourishing.
This book (my own) focuses on the intersubjective foundations of morality and ethics, and puts human relations to AI in the context of other morally troubling relations with non-humans and "near-humans" that seem to challenge the definition of the human itself.
