The Technology Paradox

What ChatGPT, baby tigers, and Socrates have in common: A reflection about the fears and hopes that surround new tech.

Photo by Paulo Victor on Unsplash

I once heard that technological advancements tend to outpace the laws and ethics that govern them and I thought…well that explains a lot. We welcome new tech like baby tigers into our homes, thinking this stuff is all cute and fun and cuddly until one day it grows up and bites our leg off…or worse. Only then do authorities make it illegal to own a big cat. Except the baby tiger is the World Wide Web, DNA splicing, self-driving cars, and Artificial Intelligence. And I have nothing against tigers—they are beautiful, powerful, amazing creatures in their intended habitat doing what they were created to do. But they make bad house pets and you should know not to give one to a child.

The other day I ran across a list of things people worry about with new tech. Want the list? It potentially invades privacy, can be a source of misinformation, bias, and even propaganda, it might undermine traditional social structures and values, it comes with unknown health risks (waves and frequencies and all that), and it will be harmful to the development of children. Oh, you thought I was talking about AI? No, that was about the radio. (It turns out we’re not the first generation to be scared of technology.)

Socrates thought it wasn’t a good idea to put ideas to paper to reference later—after all, people might stop relying on their memories. Conrad Gessner thought the invention of the printing press would lead to an abundance of books, and that that would be a bad thing.¹ Electricity could electrocute people. The radio might distract kids from their schoolwork. Using email might lower our IQ. (Not sure many people would argue with that last one.)²

So what do we think? Were they right? Are we worse off than we were before or better? Yes. (That’s the technology paradox)³

I might have been an immediate adopter of Facebook in the early aughts, but I’m old enough to be cynical about new technology. With every gray hair on my head, I’m more convinced that “advancements” do nothing to help us advance beyond the things that really plague mankind, like hatred, greed, and envy. Instead, every new development gives us wins to the same degree it creates opportunities for evil. This is the technology paradox—where tech gives us things we wanted but never had it also gives us things we didn’t want and never knew we needed to avoid. It seems we can’t have one without the other.⁴

I kept this in mind as I downloaded ChatGPT on my phone, hoping I didn’t have to admit to any boomers I’d gone to the dark side. For a long time, I sympathized and intentionally resited ChatGPT until someone told me it could meal plan. That’s music to a busy mom’s ears! I even gave it all my parameters: how many calories I wanted each serving to be, dietary restrictions, food preferences, prep time, and the amount of people that were going to be served. In less than a minute I had every ingredient and recipe spelled out. Then I went a step further— “Please make me a grocery list for this.” My jaw dropped. There was my grocery list for the week sorted into categories.

After that, I decided I could outsource more tasks to ChatGPT. If I had a busy day, I’d tell it what I had to do and ask it to make me a schedule. If I wanted to do a certain type of workout, I’d ask it to give me a plan. If I wasn’t sure how to style a skirt, I’d ask it for ideas. I didn’t always do exactly what it said, but I was shocked at how far the results took me down the road.

The way new technology hits each generation is fascinating. According to the theory of The Big Five Personality Traits, young people tend to be the most open to new things and are the most agreeable to change.⁵ But these qualities drop considerably starting in middle age, especially after age 50. Individuals who once excitedly welcomed every newfangled thing are now leery and even grouchy about the prospect of having to learn something new. They are filled with skepticism, thinking that this is the tech is the tech that will ruin society. Meanwhile, the technology that they loved, the tech that defined their generation, fades into the rear-view mirror. A sort of reverse chronological snobbery takes over and each new thing becomes suspicious.

I say this as someone on the cusp of middle age who is starting to feel sympathetic. We are the moms of The Anxious Generation who sometimes wish we could rewind back to an 80’s and 90’s childhood before smartphones engulfed our lives when we came home with the streetlights. But I also still remember what it felt like to be 23 and to stand in line for the brand new, fully-touch screen iPhone. To gladly start listening to all MP3s instead of burning CDs. To start a podcast just because it’s a fun new medium. Why can’t I hold onto at least a little of that excitement and optimism even as it’s seasoned with the experience of age?

I guess AI has me feeling very Ecleessiates. I feel like King Solomon would understand the Technology Paradox. We make make make, but it’s never really new. The world expands, and knowledge abounds, but does it help in the end? We think we might be able to obtain answers like a god, gorging ourselves on information and connectivity but it’s all vanity. Nothing changes. Lazy people are still lazy. Hateful people are still hateful. The gospel still finds its way around.

Here’s the thing—I’m using Chat GTP these days but I refuse to let it use me. For all the answers it can give, it’s severely limited. I suppose I’ll enjoy it as a tool, but I won’t rely on it to transform me into a more loving wife or mother or friend. It’s not my Savior, but it’s also something I refuse to fear. AI can play god but it can’t thwart Him. Its algorithms are subservient to our Sovereign.

I imagine that someday I’ll be an old woman in a chair looking out a window and maybe my great-grandchild will apparate into my living room for a visit.⁶ I’ll be both delighted and horrified. I won’t understand how to work my own teleportation device—my kids will eye roll. I’ll smash my wrinkled lips into their cheeks. I’ll laugh. I’ll long for heaven. I’ll know there’s no need to worry.

1. It’s okay if you audibly gasped. Too many books?!

2. I didn’t do all the research to compile these. Instead, I pulled these findings from this article as I researched historical fears and technology.

3. At this point in writing, I wondered if ‘technology paradox’ was a phrase I came up with or if it already existed, so I googled it. AI gave me a nice definition and summary. Enjoy.

4. Samuel James has an excellent book along these lines called Digital Liturgies. I’ve found his voice to be fresh, honest, and sound in this area.

5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2562318/#:~:text=found%20that%20scores%20on%20Extraversion,Agreeableness%20showed%20the%20reverse%20pattern.

6. That’s Harry Potter for “teleport.”