‘Look up. Who owns that camera?’

This episode kicks off a new series on the movement of technology, the influence of AI, and the impact it all makes on our humanity. With unprecedented widespread access to technology, how many of us have taken pause and taken the implications of this “upward movement” into humble consideration? Most of us – knowingly or not – are hopping into the machinery that claims to move us forward, but where are we actually headed?

Summary

The movement of technology has long made a massive contribution to the progress of humanity throughout history, but the unprecedented advances of the Internet and widespread access to Artificial Intelligence in recent years have unarguably changed the course of how humans interact with machines. With the promise of Utopia on the horizon, what is the price that we pay, and what do we give up of our humanity? Jason and Pete enter into an honest discussion about their own discernment over the use of AI and how they wrestle with appropriating knowledge and accumulating information. Using ‘Biltong’, a South African cured meat, as an example, they dive into the intricacies of using technology to accrue information and how knowledge can then be weaved through stories in culture. They talk through the fallout that stems from the loss of sacred space, and how technology has changed the way we tell and transmit stories throughout generations. They lead the discussion into a consideration of when technology can become evil, when we become disconnected from transcendence, and what we need to do to stay vigilant in an era of rapid progress.

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Speakers Bio

Pete White is the founder of Vocatio, an organization focused on restoring character and calling to the center of human life. Drawing from a wealth of life experiences – from his work as a carpenter in blue-collar environments, volunteering in homeless shelters, to nearly two decades as a therapist in private practice – Pete encountered the deep brokenness of the human experience in lives oriented away from the heart of God. He witnessed firsthand the fractures caused by addictions, poverty of mind, body, and spirit, broken relationships, and crises in identity and authenticity. His encounters have ignited in him a deep desire to see healing and wholeness, steeped in love, to the world around him. Today, Pete accompanies individuals and organizations in the process of clarifying purpose and life-calling, recovering their vocation as life-as-craft.

Bio retrieved from Vocatio.
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Jason Jensen is the founding partner and CEO of Glass Canvas. He has set the tone for radical pursuit of the way of Jesus in every area of our business, leading with vulnerability, intentionality, and pursuit of the human heart. His personal mission is to help increase the accompaniment capacity of the Church, and he does so with his gifts of being with individuals and leaders to help draw them into an integrated Christian imagination. Jason leads the formation direction and overall vision of Glass Canvas.

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Noteworthy quotes

“Every extension of mankind, especially technological extensions, have the effect of amputating or modifying some other extension." - Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Message

“It is the persistent theme of this book that all technologies are extensions of our physical and nervous systems to increase power and speed” - Marshall McLuhan

“Knowledge is the capacity to represent things as they are, on an appropriate basis of thought and/or experience.” - Dallas Willard

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Resources for you

The Abolition of Man
by C.S. Lewis
Order from Amazon

The Great Divorce
by C.S. Lewis
Order from Amazon

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God
by Dallas Willard
Order from Amazon

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Timestamps

01:15 How to begin thinking about how to relate with technology’s movement
‍02:42 Approaching the topic as an ‘open question’
‍04:15 The blind use of any tech
05:05 The hope is to help the audience think carefully
06:22 What is integration?
07:00 Big tech changes; AI as near-sentient agents
09:00 “All media extensions of man are an amputation”
09:46 Integration vs. Absorption
10:52 Paul Kingsnorth: “We are story-telling creatures"
13:01 Abundant life without personal transformation
14:02 A Utopian promise
19:07 Technology as “The Alchemy”
20:40 Cultural hegemony
22:00 Pre-GPS eras and asking for directions in neighborhoods
28:33 “All technology is an extension of the senses.” - (McLuhan)
29:58 The integrating process of technology
32:40 The ‘Greatest Commandment’ as the first starting point in consideration
33:39 First question: “Am I meant to be here?”
36:16 Second question: “How do I implement this tech while still telling the truth about me?”
39:00 The loss of sacred space
41:43 The gift of getting lost
42:47 The collective consciousness of Roombas
47:25 Be cautious of what you give your consent to
50:32 Information vs. knowledge
55:37 Knowledge and cultural heritage
01:05:40 The Gray City
01:07:23 The Silicon Valley promise
01:09:19 The most powerful lie
01:13:05 What technocrats can’t promise
01:14:32 What technology should aim towards: new territories of meaning
01:16:30 Caution and hope, and what is lost to you
01:23:03 Technological asceticism
01:27:30 A technocrat’s quest
01:36:20 What questions should we be asking?

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