Using artificial intelligence to write Christian content or any content can have polarizing views.
There’s one word you dare not speak around me: AI. ChatGPT. (I guess that’s two.)
Since the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022, I’ve avoided it at all costs. I read the stories: how easily the tool scoured the internet and plagiarized sources. How void of voice the writing it developed seemed.
But I heard stories of its triumphs — an old college associate (who is a boss when it comes to helping business owners secure business credit, btw) used it to come up with a week-long meal plan or how it put together a somewhat decent email blast for a client.
I hadn’t heard much about ChatGPT’s usage in the realm of Christian writing, though. So I decided to put it to the test. I prompted the AI to write three articles about a Christian-based topic for me, varied by how specific I was about what I wanted the technology to write.
To start, I provided ChatGPT with what I consider a vague topic. I asked the software to write an article about the Holy Spirit. I did this twice and showcased my voice through two different articles: this article from my website and the other from my featured content on the Follower of One website.
Because what I gave ChatGPT to work with was so vague, it tried to use the content I provided as a guide, literally lifting lines from my writing and rephrasing. When I used the article from the Follower of One website, the AI still included content about the Holy Spirit through the process of writing and editing, which would have come from the article on my website (I used that article first). This showed me that the software was attempting to learn my voice and incorporate it into the writing.
I thought that using the Follower of One article yielded results closer to what I had in mind, so I used it again when giving ChatGPT a new prompt. This time, I told it to write an article about five reasons why you need the Holy Spirit.
Again, I could tell the AI was learning my voice and my writing style. The article created hit the mark as far as including a five-point list, but I found it wanting in the conclusion department. It read like something my fifth grader would write; in other words, it was very elementary in its recap of all the previous points provided.
For my last party trick, I tried to be as specific as possible. I gave the technology my most targeted request. I told ChatGPT to write a 10,000-word essay explaining what the Holy Spirit is, why a person needs it, and how someone might go about receiving the Holy Spirit.
ChatGPT did not produce an essay for me but provided an outline of how to write such an ambitious article. While impressed with the outline, the technology did not actually fulfill my request.
I doubled back and told ChatGPT to write a 1,000-word essay instead while outlining the same parameters. An essay was generated; however, it was not 1,000 words but instead a little over 600. I also noticed that my specificity caused the AI to spit out an article with no voice. It was a regurgitation of information.
I must say that ChatGPT surprised me in some unsuspecting ways. Now does this experience make me want to advocate for regular use of ChatGPT or any AI technology for writing? No. But I can recognize and honor the appeal.
Christian writers should be especially careful about using AI to create most of their content. As Christian authors, our main source of inspiration should be the Holy Spirit. It will tell us what to write and how to write it. Reliance on any other source leads us away from God and the hearts and minds He’d like us to impact.
I know this article may sway some from using this technology altogether while it might just light the fuse for others. If you’re in the latter group, there are some dos and don’ts for using AI like this that I want to share.
Dos and Don’ts for Using Artificial Intelligence
Do
Create an account
This will allow you to keep track of the ways you’ve used AI and helps AI make a note of your writing preferences.
Double-check for plagiarized work and made-up facts
As you may have noticed in one of the above images, the makers of ChatGPT acknowledge that the technology can make mistakes. We should do our due diligence to make sure we’re not on the receiving end of a lawsuit by checking all the facts any AI presents as true.
Edit/Proofread anything created by AI
Remember to edit and proofread anything created by any AI to ensure it represents your voice and writing style and that the text is grammatically correct.
Don’t
Rely on AI to write everything for you
A tool like ChatGPT is not meant to do all the work for you. If you’re a person who might rely heavily on technology to write, it could become a crutch to you and limit your ability to work out your own writing muscles.
Attempt to pass AI-generated work off as your own
This tip goes in line with making sure all the content AI gives you is original. Imagine having AI write a book for you and you publish it only to find that a substantial amount was lifted from other sources. Yeah, that probably won’t go over well. Additionally, some social media sites are requiring that you put a label on any of your content created with AI.
Use AI
I’ll probably take this stance forever. Just don’t use AI.
Though I hold sacred the art of writing, I believe that AI is not (always) our enemy. When harnessed properly, it can be beneficial to a Christian author or someone who is not a strong writer. There are observances that every user should make when utilizing these powerful tools.