This morning before heading to the grocery store, I had an unresolved phone call with my mom. Our conversations often stay on the surface — what am I doing, neighborhood gossip — while everything alive in me is about creativity and building something. I hung up with that quiet gap between us still open.
At the store, as is my custom, I took the time to greet the staff with a hug and engage in a brief conversation.
One employee I frequently converse with is Leo. During our discussion I spoke about the importance of exercising patience with older individuals. He gazed at me with surprise and asked for the rationale behind my perspective.
I explained that I occasionally lose interest when trying to convey my thoughts to my mother, as she often struggles to understand me, yet insists that I am the one who fails to articulate my ideas. As I mature, I am learning the importance of patience in these interactions, recognizing that it is essential for effective communication.
I also told Leo that I need to practice patience and listen more to what other people say.
Without missing a beat Leo turned to me and said — let me show you something. He pulled out his phone and introduced me to an app called Chat GPT. He explained that all he needed to do was type Patience Prayer and a written letter about praying for patience would instantly appear.
Internally I hesitated, not particularly wanting to engage with this idea. However, out of respect I simply replied — okay — and continued on.
On my drive home I engaged in a reflective dialogue regarding my reservations about utilizing Chat GPT for prayer.
Because it is a machine built by human and only human can produce genuine feeling. I have the power of attention, of interest, even the power of physical movement. All these powers must be brought together in a concentrated force to generate the authenticity of human prayer.
Prayer is a personal connection and union with God. The most genuine prayers originate from the heart.
It saddens me to observe that as the prominence of AI continues to rise, an increasing number of individuals are relying on applications to dictate their words and actions, even in the simplest situations. Ironically, rather than enhancing their intelligence, some of these individuals come across as less knowledgeable. The concerning aspect is that they appear unaware of this decline in their communicative competence.
I have experimented with AI in my writing. However I have found that it often struggles to convey human emotions effectively. Instead it tends to rely on overly sentimental language using terms like magical or mythical.
At times the AI returns responses that reflect its ongoing evolution but fail to accurately capture my intended meaning.
This is why I prioritize thoughtful composition over merely inserting words that sound credible.
Prayer is a bridge between a human and God — or whoever people believe is their highest source.
It is a dialogue a machine should not participate in.
