We affirm that privacy and personal property are intertwined individual rights and choices that should not be violated by governments, corporations, nation-states, and other groups, even in the pursuit of the common good. While God knows all things, it is neither wise nor obligatory to have every detail of one’s life open to society.
We deny the manipulative and coercive uses of data and AI in ways that are inconsistent with the love of God and love of neighbor. Data collection practices should conform to ethical guidelines that uphold the dignity of all people. We further deny that consent, even informed consent, although requisite, is the only necessary ethical standard for the collection, manipulation, or exploitation of personal data—individually or in the aggregate. AI should not be employed in ways that distort truth through the use of generative applications. Data should not be mishandled, misused, or abused for sinful purposes to reinforce bias, strengthen the powerful, or demean the weak.
Exodus 20:15, Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:13-14; Matthew 10:16 Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 4:12-13; 1 John 1:7
Editor’s note: To read more about why we wrote this statement, read my post that originally ran at ERLC.com
Recommended Resources
The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity – by Jason Thacker
Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are – by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power – by Shoshana Zuboff