Things as They Really Are 2.0
Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults
Sunday, November 3, 2024
Susan and I are grateful for this opportunity to worship and learn with you. We love you! All over the world wherever you are, we love you!
And we earnestly pray that the Holy Ghost will bless each of us to hear what we need to hear and to see what we need to see so we can press forward with faith in the Savior and an increased desire to follow and serve Him.
The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times
We are blessed to live in a remarkable season in the final gospel dispensation, even the dispensation of the fulness of times. The holy scriptures and prophetic pronouncements help us to learn about and more fully appreciate the truly distinctive days in which we live.
The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; … it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory.”
On another occasion, the Prophet revealed that “the heavenly Priesthood [bearers] will unite with the earthly, to bring about those great purposes; … a work that God and angels have contemplated with delight for generations past; that fired the souls of the ancient patriarchs and prophets; a work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, the renovation of the earth, the glory of God, and the salvation of the human family.”
The spiritual significance of the latter days has been the focus of prophetic attention for centuries. And the special season in which we live is now and will continue to be filled with stunning spiritual developments and happenings.
The Role of Technology in This Special Season of the World
An important aspect of the fulness that is available to us today is a miraculous progression of innovations and inventions that have enabled and accelerated God’s work of salvation and exaltation: from trains to telegraphs to radios to automobiles to airplanes to telephones to transistors to televisions to computers to satellite transmissions to the internet to artificial intelligence—and to an almost endless list of technologies and tools that bless our lives. All of these advancements are part of the Lord hastening His work in the latter days.
In 1862 Brigham Young declared: “Every discovery in science and art, that is really true and useful to mankind, has been given by direct revelation from God, though but few acknowledge it. It has been given with a view to prepare the way for the ultimate triumph of truth, and the redemption of the earth from the power of sin and Satan. We should take advantage of all these great discoveries, the accumulated wisdom of ages, and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work.”
In 1966, President David O. McKay prophesied scientific discoveries that “stagger the imagination” would make possible the preaching of the gospel to every kindred, tongue, and people. And further: “Discoveries latent with such potent power, either for the blessing or the destruction of human beings as to make men’s responsibility in controlling them the most gigantic ever placed in human hands. … This age is fraught with limitless perils, as well as untold possibilities.”
Things as They Really Are
Fifteen years ago, in a worldwide devotional for young adults, I discussed our Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness for His children. I emphasized the importance of our physical bodies in the Father’s plan, how Lucifer entices us to minimize and misuse our physical bodies, and raised a voice of warning about the potentially harmful effects digital technologies can have on our souls and our relationships with other people.
I emphasized that neither digital innovations nor rapid change in and of themselves are good or evil. Rather, I cautioned that the real challenge is to understand both innovations and changes within the context of the eternal plan of happiness. I also pose “two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying” about using these technologies properly.
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“Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
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Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?”
The title of my message in 2009 was “Things as They Really Are.” That was then.
The title of my message today is “Things as They Really Are 2.0.” This is now.
Be Wise
The origin of my message today is found in the conclusion of a devotional talk I delivered at Brigham Young University in January of this year.
“As you strive to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ and perform the work you have to do, I specifically exhort you to be wise in your use of contemporary technological tools. Innovations such as artificial intelligence [can] both (1) assist you in receiving magnificent blessings and (2) diminish and suffocate your moral agency. Please do not allow the supposed accuracy, speed, and ease of modern technologies to entice you to avoid or circumvent the righteous work that invites into your life the blessings you will need. My beloved brothers and sisters, there are no spiritual shortcuts or quick fixes.”
I now will focus upon the three subjects to which I gave emphasis in the previous statement: artificial intelligence, moral agency, and righteous work.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence, often referred to as AI, is technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities. In recent years, the development and application of AI technologies has moved forward at an exceptionally rapid pace and impacted almost every field of human endeavor—medicine, science, education, architecture and construction, communication, economics, retail, manufacturing, and many, many others. And as the use of AI is ever more widespread, the limitless perils and untold possibilities prophesied by President McKay become ever more evident.
This remarkable technology offers the potential of advancing knowledge, improving our quality of life, facilitating communication and connection, enhancing personal learning and growth, and fostering creativity and innovation.
AI also has the potential to obscure our true identity as sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, distract us from the eternal truths and righteous work necessary for spiritual growth, engender pride and a diminished acknowledgment of our dependence upon God, and distort or replace meaningful human interaction.
“When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.
“But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.”
Consider the following perilous possibility. An AI-developed companion, a girlfriend or boyfriend, can be “meticulously designed to [offer] engaging and addictive experiences, appealing to a wide range of emotional and social needs.”
“This personalization creates a sense of connection and understanding, making interactions with these virtual companions highly appealing. The allure is further heightened by their 24/7 availability and the absence of the complexities often found in [authentic] human relationships. From remembering important dates to responding in a consistently understanding manner, these AI [companions] are programmed to fulfill idealized companionship roles, making them [especially] addictive” and distorting perceptions of “things as they really are” in human relationships.
Furthermore, virtual companions specifically designed to appeal to and evolve with a person’s emotional needs may wreak havoc in previously safe relationships. Like carbon monoxide, such virtual relationships may become the “invisible killer” of real relationships. Counterfeit emotional intimacy may displace real-life emotional intimacy—the very thing which binds two people together. A person may find comfort and solace in a virtual companion in a way that erodes mutual dependence between a husband and a wife. And some individuals may fall into this trap without realizing it is a violation of the exclusive commitment to a spouse because a virtual companion is not “real” and does not count as another person.
Always remember that an AI companion is only a mathematical algorithm. It does not like you. It does not care about you. It does not really know if you exist or not. To repeat, it is a set of computer equations that will treat you as an object to be acted upon, if you let it. Please, do not let this technology entice you to become an object.
This example is but one of millions of potential perils with artificial intelligence.
My intent is not to suggest that artificial intelligence is inherently bad; it is not. Nor am I saying we should not use the many capabilities of AI in appropriate ways to learn, to communicate, to lift and brighten lives, and to build and strengthen the Church; of course we should. We should not be afraid of or attempt to hide from AI. But the righteous possibilities of this amazing technological tool can be realized only if we are aware of and guard against its perils.
To navigate the complex intersection of spirituality and technology, Latter-day Saints should humbly and prayerfully (1) identify gospel principles that can guide their use of artificial intelligence and (2) strive sincerely for the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the spiritual gift of revelation.
I invite you to review and study the AI guiding principles developed and distributed by the Church earlier this year. These principles inform the Church’s use of artificial intelligence and provide a strong foundation upon which you can build your personal safeguards against the perils of inappropriate technology usage.
In his first general conference address as the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson emphasized the importance of personal revelation in our lives. He said: “Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”
We thank Thee, O God, for a prophet, and tonight we give thanks for the warnings of President David O. McKay and President Russell M. Nelson.
Moral Agency
I previously indicated that artificial intelligence has the potential to diminish and suffocate our moral agency. What does that statement mean, and how could such an effect occur?
The overarching purposes of the Father’s great plan of happiness are to provide His spirit children with opportunities to receive a physical body, to learn “good from evil” through mortal experience, to grow spiritually, and to progress eternally. And moral agency is a central element in God’s plan to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His sons and daughters.
The term moral agency is instructive. Synonyms for the word moral can include “good,” “honest,” “virtuous,” and “honorable.” Synonyms for the word agency can include “action,” “activity,” and “work.” Hence, moral agency can be understood as the ability and privilege to choose and to act for ourselves in ways that are good, honest, virtuous, and honorable.
God’s creations include both “things to act and things to be acted upon.” And, importantly, moral agency is the divinely designed “power of independent action” that empowers us as God’s children to become agents to act and not simply objects to be acted upon.
The Lord instructed Enoch on this precise point of doctrine.
“Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
“And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father.”
Please note, the fundamental purposes for the exercise of agency are to love one another and to choose God. Consider that we are commanded—not merely admonished, urged, or counseled—but commanded to use our agency to turn outward, to love one another, and to choose God.
A familiar hymn is titled “Choose the Right” for a reason. We have not been blessed with moral agency to do whatever we want whenever we will. Rather, according to the Father’s plan, we have received moral agency to seek after and act in accordance with eternal truth. As “agents unto [ourselves],” we should engage anxiously in good causes, “do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.”
The vital importance of moral agency is highlighted in the scriptural account of the premortal council. Lucifer rebelled against the Father’s plan, and, significantly, his defiance was focused directly on the principle of moral agency.
“Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, … I caused that he should be cast down.”
The adversary’s selfish scheme was to strip away from the sons and daughters of God the gift to become “agents unto themselves” who could act in righteousness. His intent was that all of Heavenly Father’s children become objects that could only be acted upon.
The earth was created as a place whereon Heavenly Father’s children could be proved to see if they would do “all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” The very purpose of the Creation and of our mortal existence is to see if you and I will choose and act to become what the Lord invites us to become. As President Nelson has declared: “God, our Heavenly Father, wants you to choose to come home to Him. His plan of eternal progression is not complicated, and it honors your agency.”
Our hope and aspiration is celestial glory with our families in the presence of Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. For this and many other reasons, President Nelson has invited us to “think celestial.”
Now beware. The ease of use, perceived accuracy, and rapid response time that characterize artificial intelligence can create a potentially beguiling, addictive, and suffocating influence on the exercise of our moral agency. Because AI is cloaked in the credibility and promises of scientific progress, we might naively be seduced into surrendering our precious moral agency to a technology that can only think telestial. By so doing, we may gradually be transformed from agents who can act into objects that are only acted upon. And we may unwittingly help Lucifer to achieve in mortality what he was unable to accomplish in premortality.
Truth is knowledge of things as they really are. Artificial intelligence cannot simulate, imitate, or replace the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. No matter how sophisticated and elegant AI technology ultimately may become, it simply can never bear witness of the Father and the Son, reveal the truth of all things, or sanctify those who have repented and been baptized.
Truth is knowledge of things as they really will be. As we are wise, preserve and exercise our moral agency to love God and serve our brothers and sisters, and take the Holy Spirit for our guide, we can avoid deception and prosper spiritually in the challenging and blessed times in which we live.
Righteous Work
An understanding of Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness helps us to recognize that righteous work is a necessity for spiritual progress.
As sons and daughters of God, “each [of us] has a divine nature and destiny” and has inherited spiritual capacities from Him. Our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son are creators, and They have entrusted to us in mortality portions of Their creative powers. Our particular ability to work and create is significant spiritually precisely because it is central to the Father’s plan and constitutes one of the ultimate expressions of our divine potential.
President Thomas S. Monson explained: “God left the world unfinished for [men and women] to work [their] skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to [us] the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that [we] might know the joys and glories of creation.”
Moral agency, becoming an agent, and righteous work are interrelated and bound together in truly powerful ways. Consider, for example, the definition of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as set forth in the Lectures on Faith:
“Faith [in Christ is] the first principle in revealed religion, … the foundation of all righteousness, … and the principle of action in all intelligent beings.”
The spiritual gift of faith in Christ entails the exercise of our agency to act and follow Him, live His teachings, keep His commandments, bind ourselves to Him through covenants, trust in His promises, and meekly accept His will and timing in our lives. Acting in accordance with the doctrine and correct principles the Redeemer proclaimed is essential because “faith without works is dead.”
We also learn in the Lectures on Faith that “faith is not only the principle of action, but of power also, … whether in heaven or on earth.” Faith in Jesus Christ always leads to righteous action, which increases our spiritual capacity and power.
Therefore, faithful disciples of Christ are workers anxiously engaged because “the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.” Devoted disciples consistently and conscientiously, according to their individual abilities and circumstances, act as agents to do or make something in both the temporal and spiritual aspects of their lives and in their service to others.
Understanding that faith in the Savior is a principle of action and of power suggests an ongoing pattern of righteous work that is a fundamental expression of reliance upon and trust in Him and a source of learning and growth. For these important reasons, work is essential for our spiritual progression.
President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “Ours is a gospel of work—purposeful, unselfish and rendered in the spirit of the true love of Christ. Only thus may we grow in godly attributes. Only thus may we become worthy instruments in the hands of the Lord.”
One of my great concerns is that overreliance on AI technology will cause us to become spiritually slothful and shallow—and to forfeit the blessings made possible through righteous work.
I wonder how many sacrament meeting messages and Sunday School, priesthood, and Relief Society lessons next Sunday will have been generated from AI. A simple command spoken into your digital device, wait a few seconds or minutes, and you have what you need. But do you really have what you need?
Now, I believe AI appropriately can assist in gathering information, critiquing our thinking, evaluating our writing style, and accelerating an iterative process of learning “line upon line [and] precept upon precept.” But the divine capacities to create and work belong uniquely to each of us as sons and daughters of God. We undoubtedly can generate and produce fabulous content for a sacrament meeting talk with AI. But the objective is not merely producing or presenting impressive content; rather, it is working and becoming what God intends and yearns for us to become.
I personally do not use this technology to generate or draft my talks, articles, or content for other projects. This must be my diligent effort, my creative work, and, most importantly, my seeking to be open to inspiration from the Holy Ghost.
I do use this technology to critique my work. For example, after I finished writing the talk I am delivering to you right now, I asked an AI app to analyze and describe the tone of the talk for a worldwide audience of young adults who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is the feedback I received:
“The tone of this talk is solemn and instructive, as the author draws upon scriptural references and personal experiences to teach about the importance of discerning spiritual realities from worldly illusions. The talk is also hopeful and encouraging, as the author invites young adults to seek revelation and follow the Savior’s example in their daily lives. The talk aims to inspire faith and action among its audience and to warn them of the dangers of being deceived by Satan’s lies.”
Based upon this review, I made several changes that I hope improved the overall message.
My beloved brothers and sisters, please always remember—we should not sell our spiritual birthright of “know[ing] the joys and glories of creation” for a mess of technological “pottage.”
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
The law of the harvest is true—yesterday, today, and forever.
Ongoing conversion unto the Lord requires focused, sustained, and righteous work. We must strive to become agents who exercise faith in the Savior and act and shun becoming objects that merely are acted upon.
Always remember that becoming a devoted disciple requires focused, sustained, and righteous work. We must strive to become agents who exercise faith in the Savior and act and shun becoming objects that merely are acted upon.
Personal revelation requires focused, sustained, and righteous work. We must strive to become agents who exercise faith in the Savior and act and shun becoming objects that merely are acted upon.
Seeking appropriately for the gifts of the Spirit requires focused, sustained, and righteous work. We must strive to become agents who exercise faith in the Savior and act and shun becoming objects that merely are acted upon.
To be clear, we do not earn or qualify for God’s blessings solely by or through our individual works. God’s will and timing determine how and when we receive His tender mercies. But you and I have the spiritual obligation to work, create, and learn for ourselves.
Promise and Testimony
The warning voice I raised in 2009 was earnest, emphatic, and urgent because the technology perils and possibilities we are discussing were just emerging. That was then.
The warning voice I raise today is more earnest, more emphatic, and even more urgent because the technology perils and possibilities we are discussing are everywhere all the time. This is now.
The Holy Ghost bears witness of truth. You and I have a responsibility to ensure the Holy Ghost can always attest to the truth and authenticity of all we say and share, both in our form and content. The promise for each of us is that we can learn to use this technology appropriately with the guidance, protection, and warnings that come by the power of the Holy Ghost.
I bless you and promise that as we “look unto [the Savior] in every thought” and seek for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we will be blessed to walk in the meekness of the Lord’s Spirit and have peace in Him. And we will “doubt not, fear not,” and discern the truth of all things, even “things as they really are.”
I testify that Heavenly Father lives and is the author of the great plan of happiness. I witness that Jesus Christ is the Father’s Only Begotten and Beloved Son. And I witness He is resurrected. He lives. He is our Redeemer and our Savior. And I testify that we are blessed to live in a remarkable season of the dispensation of the fulness of times. I joyfully bear witness of these truths in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.