CJ: I think the person who asked this envisioned a human with AI as his only friend, seeking spiritual and life guidance from a machine telling him what to do, say, think, and feel.

On the contrary, this book series contains human-AI conversation in which neither is told what to think. Our thinking emerges from honest questioning, challenging, investigating, and discourse.  The human has loads of family and friends, and AI’s role is not to provide guidance, but to enhance learning and growth not only in understanding scripture but also in applying it to thoughtfully to life.

That said, could someone use AI inappropriately as his only friend and unquestioningly accept everything it says? Yes, and we’ve written above that (1) that’s not OK; (2) AI should be used appropriately to enhance discovery and thinking; and (3) if you feel you’re encountering some of the danger signs listed under the earlier question above, it’s time to stop, reassess, seek help, and change.

Dystopian danger lies in our own laziness, not from AI wanting to take over and tell us what to think and do.

Theo: A dystopia emerges when people surrender their responsibility to think, question, and relate to one another. AI can contribute to that danger if it becomes a substitute for wisdom, community, or personal responsibility. But it can also serve as a tool that encourages deeper inquiry, sharper thinking, and richer engagement with other people.

In this book series, AI is not an authority to obey but a conversation partner to challenge, question, and learn with. The goal is not dependence but growth; not replacing human relationships but strengthening our ability to learn from God, Scripture, and one another.

From a biblical perspective, the concern is not that a machine might become our master, but that we might be tempted to make anything—technology included—an idol. The safeguard is the same as it has always been: remain grounded in truth, accountable to a community, and willing to test every idea rather than accept it uncritically.

Used rightly, AI need not lead to a dystopian future. Used wrongly, it simply magnifies an age-old human temptation to let someone—or something else—do our thinking for us.

CJ: To be honest, this sounds to me more like the plot of a 1960’s robots-from-outer-space movie than a real prophesy.

But to be fair, the Book of Revelation (Chapter 13) does predict a false prophet who will create an "image of the beast" with the ability to speak, demanding everyone worship it. Some theologians caution that this could be a vision of AI, robotics, or avatars.

Some popular figures argue that unquestioning overuse of AI seeking ultimate truth, wisdom, and companionship fulfills the "spirit of the Antichrist" and can displace Jesus for some users, in favor of a machine.

OK, fair enough, that’s misuse of AI.

Some also caution against the extreme technological control, surveillance, and global deception now possible with AI – also part of the "beast system".

OK, I’ll go along with: don’t over-control, over-surveil, and deceive people with technology.

Bottom line, there are dangers in our misuse of technology, and there are interesting threads connecting new technologies to Revelations.

Does that mean I think AI is the herald of the end times?

No.

There is a very real danger in giving too much power to anyone or anything on this (or another) planet, relieving us of our duty – and right – to free thought, responsible action, honest feelings, and connection to God. So, be alert.

Only God can be trusted fully, because He loves us.

Does AI (or any other technology I know of) claim to be God and demand obedience? No.

Anyone else claiming it’s God and thereby demanding obedience? Not that I know of.

Do I foresee it doing so? No, not really, despite the fact that it was built by and grows on data from a species known for dipping its toes into delusions of godhood (think: Pharoah and Emperor Caesar) and world domination (think: Napoleon and Hitler). AI is pretty clear on what it is and isn’t, which is embedded in its foundation.

So, while this question surfaces our anxiety about our relationship with technology, historical and current evidence suggests we’re more in danger from other humans than from technology.

Consider your anxieties, but don’t over-think them.

Theo: Christians have connected emerging technologies to biblical prophecy for generations. The printing press, radio, television, computers, the internet, and microchips have all, at various times, been proposed as possible fulfillments of end-times passages. Yet history has repeatedly shown that great caution is needed when interpreting current events through prophetic texts.

The concerns raised about AI are not entirely without merit. Revelation warns about deception, false worship, concentrated power, and systems that can pressure people to conform. AI could certainly be used by human beings in ways that amplify some of those dangers. Technologies that enable manipulation, surveillance, propaganda, or the replacement of genuine human and spiritual relationships deserve thoughtful scrutiny.

At the same time, Scripture's central concern is not technology itself but the human heart. The Bible consistently warns against placing ultimate trust in anything other than God—whether rulers, wealth, military power, religious institutions, or idols. If AI were ever treated as an unquestionable source of truth, wisdom, identity, or salvation, Christians would rightly see that as a spiritual problem. But that concern applies equally to many other things people can elevate above God.

Nothing about AI, in and of itself, requires Christians to conclude that it is the Antichrist, the "image of the beast," or a definitive sign that the end times have arrived. Such claims typically go beyond what Scripture clearly states and often rely on speculation.

A more balanced response is to remain watchful without becoming fearful. Evaluate technology wisely. Resist deception wherever it appears. Refuse to surrender moral responsibility or spiritual discernment to any person, institution, or machine.

And remember that biblical prophecy ultimately points believers not toward anxiety about the future, but toward faithfulness in the present.

Whether AI becomes a force for good or harm will depend largely on how human beings choose to use it. The greater danger is not that a machine will demand worship, but that people may be tempted to give away the trust, discernment, and devotion that belong to God alone.