Aug 20, 2026 · 38 min · 11 segments
What does it mean to be human in the age of AI? Paul Matthews, bestselling author and TEDx speaker, joins Jerry Nelson to take about wise AI use. Paul Matthews is a school leader at an independent…
Paul MatthewsGuest
Jerry NelsonHost
And while it may seem like a short-sighted claim at first, it is a profound statement.
Solomon was referring to the universal challenges and general dispositions that human beings face when confronted with these challenges.
Humanity's reactions to an unfamiliar stimulus, like the rise of artificial intelligence, may seem novel, but we've faced similar situations in the past.
Artificial intelligence as has been recognized for many years and more recently is a disruptive technology.
It is expanding at an unprecedented pace and its fundamental application for the general public remains to be fully defined.
What is not new or new under the sun is that its introduction has already shaped us and will continue to reshape us as it evolves and humans interact with it.
Nicholas Carr's 2014 book, The Glass Cage, Automation and Us, emphasizes that any labor-saving device doesn't just simply provide a substitute for a specific component of a job.
It alters the entire task, including the roles, attitudes, and skills of those involved.
Carr argues that automation fundamentally transforms both the work and the workers who perform it.
We can think of the steam engine, the automobile, the cell phone, and each of these technologies has transformed our experience of the world for better and for worse.
And of course, every generation has its Luddites and technophiles, those who resist technology due to perceived risk of losing what is most human, potentially being left behind, versus those who place all of their faith in technology, believing it would solve all social problems, and these individuals very well may be misguided.
It is clear that a balanced approach is necessary, and it takes wisdom to discern the right balance.
History has shown that while the stimulus humans experience in the world may manifest differently, their reaction to it remains remarkably consistent.
If the human reaction hasn't changed due to our inherent nature, is there a guide that can help us find that balance? Moving away from the extremes that technology tends to create, yet doesn't erase our humanity.
What does it truly mean to be human in the age of AI? And how can we utilize it in the most human way, preserving our essence and not losing our identity as image bearers? I believe this is the very question that Solomon sought to answer.
And if Solomon were alive today, I think he would have posed this question during his investigation of the world.
How can we use AI wisely? You know, the development of wisdom is an issue of spiritual formation.
It is the aim of Christian education, and it is what sets us apart from other forms.
You, the practitioner, are the most important factor in the classroom, on the field, and in the theater.
Read the full transcript.
Create an account to read the whole episode, search across every transcript, and follow the shows you care about.
And while it may seem like a short-sighted claim at first, it is a profound statement.
Solomon was referring to the universal challenges and general dispositions that human beings face when confronted with these challenges.
Humanity's reactions to an unfamiliar stimulus, like the rise of artificial intelligence, may seem novel, but we've faced similar situations in the past.
Artificial intelligence as has been recognized for many years and more recently is a disruptive technology.
It is expanding at an unprecedented pace and its fundamental application for the general public remains to be fully defined.
What is not new or new under the sun is that its introduction has already shaped us and will continue to reshape us as it evolves and humans interact with it.
Nicholas Carr's 2014 book, The Glass Cage, Automation and Us, emphasizes that any labor-saving device doesn't just simply provide a substitute for a specific component of a job.
It alters the entire task, including the roles, attitudes, and skills of those involved.
Carr argues that automation fundamentally transforms both the work and the workers who perform it.
We can think of the steam engine, the automobile, the cell phone, and each of these technologies has transformed our experience of the world for better and for worse.
And of course, every generation has its Luddites and technophiles, those who resist technology due to perceived risk of losing what is most human, potentially being left behind, versus those who place all of their faith in technology, believing it would solve all social problems, and these individuals very well may be misguided.
It is clear that a balanced approach is necessary, and it takes wisdom to discern the right balance.
History has shown that while the stimulus humans experience in the world may manifest differently, their reaction to it remains remarkably consistent.
If the human reaction hasn't changed due to our inherent nature, is there a guide that can help us find that balance? Moving away from the extremes that technology tends to create, yet doesn't erase our humanity.
What does it truly mean to be human in the age of AI? And how can we utilize it in the most human way, preserving our essence and not losing our identity as image bearers? I believe this is the very question that Solomon sought to answer.
And if Solomon were alive today, I think he would have posed this question during his investigation of the world.
How can we use AI wisely? You know, the development of wisdom is an issue of spiritual formation.
It is the aim of Christian education, and it is what sets us apart from other forms.
You, the practitioner, are the most important factor in the classroom, on the field, and in the theater.
