Posts by Jason Thacker
Thinking Biblically About Privacy in a World Ruled by AI
We live in a world of irony. We are willing to post some of the most intimate details and events of our lives online. We gladly sign up for freemium services, like social media and email, that require us to consent to various forms of data tracking in exchange for a free premium service.
Should we really expect privacy in our digital age?
From the smart doorbells that guard our homes to the millions of images that we post on social media to our phones, which never leave our side, tracking us in real time, we live in a world, mostly of our own choosing, where privacy is becoming more passe. Real-time tracking on our phones helps us to know exactly where our spouse is at any given moment and trackers keep up with teenage children as they drive off for the first time on their own. It seems we are blissfully living inside of George Orwell’s 1984 novel, but is it possible to have any sense of real privacy in a society that is increasingly connected to sophisticated artificially intelligent (AI) systems?
2 things to know about AI and the church
Probably one of the biggest questions I get when I talk about technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), is how to equip people in our churches to begin to think wisely about these innovations. Often when topics like AI, facial recognition, or privacy come up in conversation, many people react with glazed over eyes because these topics seem so far off and disconnected from our daily lives.
(Fake) Sex in a Technological Age
The world’s first sex robot debuted in fall 2018 to much fanfare. Many joined waiting lists to purchase this AI-equipped doll from Abyss Creations. The doll, named Harmony X, was one of the first AI-empowered sex dolls on the market.
Jason Thacker
Jason serves as assistant professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College and a research fellow in Christian ethics at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He is the author or editor of several books, including "Following Jesus in a Digital Age" and "The Digital Public Square: Christian Ethics in a Technological Society."