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We believe that all humans were made in the image of God and given the ability and calling to create. Unlike the offspring of Cain, who used technology for their own glory and gain (Genesis 4:22), Christians are called to create and cultivate truth, beauty, and goodness in this world for the glory of God and the good of others (Genesis 2:15).
- We believe that hard work should be rewarded and laziness should be avoided. The great danger of AI is its ability to diminish and trivialize the years of work required to cultivate skills in music, drawing, and writing. Just as it is wrong to muzzle an ox while it is treading grain (Deuteronomy 25:4), it is wrong to replace valuable creative work for the sole purpose of saving money and time.
- We believe that it is wrong to steal from and lie to our neighbors (Exodus 20:15-16). AI blurs the lines of these realities, as it does not submit to laws that previously governed our countries and consciences. It steals work from artists when it is trained on their art without permission or compensation. It lies when it attributes work to a human author, when it was written by a machine.
For these reasons, and many more, Lithos will never use AI-generated art or stories in our books. We believe creativity is a gift from God and deeply value the work of our illustrators and authors.
To clarify, this is primarily a critique of the use of AI to haphazardly create art, writing, and music, which are some of the primary ways it is currently being used and marketed. There are many niche ways that AI can be used wisely and carefully in partnership with human creativity, such as expediting Bible translation and simplifying mundane tasks. It also has many useful applications as a search engine.
