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As the sun climbed the sky over Greece a week ago, a modern-day apostle climbed the same Mars Hill where the Apostle Paul boldly preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the philosophers of Athens.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was in the ancient city to attend a conference about artificial intelligence and ethics.
Nearly 2,000 years separate the apostolic visits, but Elder Gong found a bright parallel between Paul’s message on the rocky hill below the Parthenon and his own teachings in the city last week. Elder Gong shared a video message from the same spot in the ancient city.
Paul told the Athenians that he had seen an altar in the city that bore the inscription, “To the Unknown God.” The ancient apostle preached the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to an audience of Stoics, who believed the soul was reabsorbed by the universe after a person’s death, and Epicureans, who didn’t believe in an afterlife at all.
Elder Gong said Paul bore testimony of the true and living God.
“In our day,” Elder Gong said, “too glibly, some people say that artificial intelligence is god or speak of god-like artificial intelligence, but God created man and man created artificial intelligence.
“AI cannot create God.”
After making the video, Elder Gong opened his Bible on Mars Hill and, with the Parthenon behind him, led a small group in a reading of Acts 17. It included Paul’s testimony that human beings are the offspring of God.
A Brigham Young University professor who was part of the group called it an incredibly special experience.
On Sunday, Elder Gong will release a new video called, “Hearing God’s voice in an age of artificial intelligence” on the YouTube page of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“What if an algorithm tried to tell you who you are?” Elder Gong asked in a short clip previewing the upcoming video.
“No machine, not even the most intelligent, can measure your worth or define your purpose,” he said. “You’re not a data point. You’re a beloved child of God with moral agency and divine potential.
“In this video, I share why letting technology inform us is wise, but letting it define us is not.”
To watch on Sunday, click here.
To see more photos of Elder Gong on Mars Hill, scroll down.
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About the church
- The First Presidency has announced three new temples under the leadership of President Oaks, all during gatherings of members in those areas. Read a roundup story about all three — Otavalo, Ecuador; Marysville Washington Temple; and Portland Maine Temple.
- Take a look inside the new Humanitarian Center of the Church of Jesus Christ — plus three facts to know.
- The church hosted an East Coast women’s conference. Our headline was, "Seeking Christ in New York City: Latter-day Saint women share that Jesus is ‘worth following.'"
- Historical stories of Northwestern Shoshone Latter-day Saints are featured on a new website.
What I’m reading
Some great stories from my colleagues over the past week while I was in Greece:
- Pope Leo’s encyclical: How Catholics reacted to teachings on AI
- The destruction of churches and the battle over a nation’s future
- What sitting shiva taught me about grief
- Mitt Romney tells Harvard Business School graduates what ‘true measure of wealth’ is
Behind the scenes
