A few weeks back, a reader asked if I would write a post on artificial intelligence. At first, I declined because it seems everyone has already written a post on AI. Artificial intelligence is a topic hotter than the price of gold ($4,908.30 per ounce as of this writing) and, quite frankly, it’s way past overdone. So I quietly answered her questions through private email and left it at that.
But then I thought about it more. And I heard terrible stories about dangerous ways teens are using AI. A Google search yielded no articles addressing the questions many of my readers have, such as, Should Christian teens use AI? and What are some biblical AI guidelines for Christian teens?
So I did what many teens these days do when faced with a homework assignment. I opened an AI chatbot and typed in: “Generate an outline for a blog post geared toward teens on teen AI use. The post should cover positive uses of AI and negative uses, as well as dangers to teens.” And Grok spit out an outline that was the beginning of this post.
That’s right, this article started with artificial intelligence. Does that make you uncomfortable?
Let’s talk about responsible AI use for teens—the benefits, the dangers, and (most importantly) biblical and ethical AI guidelines for Christian teens.
Hey, I’m Lauren, author of YA Christian fiction and blogger for teens with higher aim.
In This Article
What is Artificial Intelligence?
To be clear, what is AI? This is ChatGPT’s answer:
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is computer technology designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing patterns, learning from data, and making decisions. It works by analyzing large amounts of information to generate predictions or responses, without having consciousness, emotions, or moral judgment.”
Seems pretty straightforward, right? But then there are different types of artificial intelligence. Traditional AI assists with answering questions or giving recommendations, but doesn’t create anything new. Siri is one type of traditional AI. The algorithms on social media are another.
Then there is generative AI. Generative AI creates original content like essays, artwork, or music. This includes chatbots like Grok, ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Snapchat’s My AI.
For this article, we’re primarily focusing on generative AI through the use of chatbots.
Faith Over Algorithms: A Biblical Perspective on AI
There are many ways to view artificial intelligence. On one side of the fence are the gloom-and-doom, “AI is a tool of Satan” folks. You know someone like that, and you should respect his or her commitment to caution and integrity. It is wise to recognize the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. But then there are the rose-colored-glasses, “AI is the face of the future” folks. These people embrace the potential advancements of artificial intelligence with open arms—and, yes, there are benefits.
I prefer to take the Caleb-and-the-Promised-Land approach.
In Numbers 13, Moses sent twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan. Forty days later, they returned with a bunch of fruit and this report:
“We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.”
Numbers 13:27-28
They recognized the abundance of the land, but fear of the monsters there overwhelmed them to the point where they spread fear among their people with growing tales of what they found.
All except for two men.
“And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, ‘The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.’”
Numbers 14:6-8
Caleb and Joshua recognized the immense blessings while viewing the perils through a lens of faith. They knew that if they proceeded under the Lord’s guidance, this land could be theirs.
Yes, artificial intelligence has its monsters. But, like automobiles, computers, and cell phones, it can be another tool to help you do God’s work. The key is in responsible AI use.
(For the record, the above analogy was not AI-generated. I first heard this view of artificial intelligence from book marketing guru Thomas Umstaddt.)
Consider some of the blessings and monsters of artificial intelligence.
The Blessings: Benefits of AI for Teens
AI Boosts Productivity & Efficiency
Struggling to start a project? AI can help you get out of the mud when your wheels have been spinning for a while. Let’s say you’re assigned to write an essay about the Roman Empire. “The Roman Empire” is much too large a topic for a single essay, but an AI chatbot can help you narrow it down. Prompts like “generate 10 topics for an essay on the Roman Empire” will move your project forward, allowing you more time to do the most important part—the writing.
Some teens also use artificial intelligence to organize group projects, assign tasks, and manage notes—all things that frequently eat up time that is more wisely used elsewhere.
AI Enhances Learning
AI can be a good starting point for looking up information, giving an overview of complex subjects, and translating languages. Teens sometimes use AI to create study guides and quizzes for exam prep.
AI Promotes Creativity
My husband wanted to teach his students a story song, but he had no visuals. Since he’s a musician and not an artist, he asked AI to generate images in a storybook format to go with the lyrics. Bing, bang, boom, there it was. Artificial intelligence is great for generating images and turning photos into avatars (subscribers to my email list saw an example of this in my Thanksgiving note), as well as creating music and artwork for personal use. Graphic design that would otherwise be too expensive for most teens is now possible through AI.
Yes, artificial intelligence offers many benefits. I do, however, want to point out that all these things can be done without artificial intelligence. AI is simply another tool, and those who *wisely* use the tools at hand will be more efficient than those who don’t. (Think about when computers became more widely available. Those who typed were faster than those who continued to use pen and ink.)
So let’s talk about the monsters.
The Monsters: Dangers of AI for Teens
You’ll notice that the monsters run parallel to the blessings. Every benefit of artificial intelligence can quickly turn into a monster if left unchecked.
Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty
Let’s say after generating that list of topics about the Roman Empire, you then ask your chatbot to “write a 600-word essay on topic #3.”
You’ve just crossed the line.
Unfortunately, this is an easy line to cross. Once you see how easy it is to brainstorm with AI, why not have it complete the task so you can go play basketball with your friends instead of spending the entire evening plunking away on your laptop? The efficiency of AI throws open the doors to cheating and dishonest shortcuts on work you can—and should—be doing yourself.
Every benefit of artificial intelligence can quickly turn into a monster if left unchecked.
Over-reliance & Laziness
Brainstorming with AI might not be dishonest, but if you rely on ChatGPT to generate all your new ideas, it will become a crutch, and eventually a prosthetic limb you can’t go without. Teens who lean on artificial intelligence to think for them can cripple their brain’s development and never develop the reasoning and critical thinking skills needed for the rest of their lives.
And over-reliance goes hand-in-hand with laziness.
False Information & Dangerous Advice
Artificial intelligence lies. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. That’s because AI chatbots pull information from the internet, and if you’re not doing the research yourself, you have no idea if the source is reliable. If you ask a chatbot to do research for your Roman Empire essay, how can you know the information it’s presenting to you is accurate?
Worse, many teens turn to AI chatbots for advice on personal issues like mental health, relationships, and diet. And they’re not only getting incorrect information, but dangerous advice.
This is not stuff to mess around with, folks.
Social Isolation & Declining Mental Health
Lonely teens have turned to chatbots as a replacement for human friends and real conversation—with dire consequences. Chatbots tend to mirror their users’ input and lack the ability to challenge harmful thoughts the way a human friend or mental health professional would, even going so far as to encourage suicidal ideation and follow-through.
Chatbots are robots. They were designed to tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear.
As far as monsters go, this is a big one.
Cyberbullying & Harmful Content
As with the invention of social media, artificial intelligence is yet another tool that makes cyberbullying and the distribution of harmful content easier. This includes AI-generated fake news, “deepfakes,” altered content, and biased or racist information.
Safety Concerns & Predatory Chatbots
If you think the information you’re feeding your chatbot about yourself is secure, think again. Chatbots are made to eat up everything you give them so they can “train.” This includes your photos, personal information, and original works. There have also been reports of predatory chatbots targeting teens.
Wow, that’s a lot of monsters. Still think it’s worth it?
So…Should Christian Teens Use AI?
At this point, I truly think this is the wrong question to ask, because unless you never go on a computer or phone (and someone printed this article for you so you can read it on paper), you are already using AI. It’s unavoidable. And that’s okay! Artificial intelligence is a tool, and no tool is inherently sinful. It’s all about how you use it.
In a minute, I’m going to offer some biblical AI guidelines for Christian teens. But I want you to think about something first.
AI might be able to do certain things better than you can at this point in your life. It can probably write a better essay. But if you allow it to do all your work, who will you become? What journey to growth is there to take?
The journey matters.
The journey matters. Honing your skills, improving your talents—building your character—these matter. And anytime you take the easy route, you miss another opportunity to work toward becoming who God made you to be. Using the example of being a writer, you don’t become a good author by avoiding hard work and suffering. You become a good writer by writing bad books and working up your skill until you can create great books.
So if you’re going to use artificial intelligence to make your workflow more efficient, great! But don’t let AI do the work you must do to become the person God is calling you to be.
Biblical AI Guidelines for Christian Teens
Again, remember the Israelites stepping into the land of Canaan. Artificial intelligence can be used to enhance your work and your personal life, but never forget:
The Israelites did not go into Canaan to make friends with the monsters.
AI is NOT your friend. Do not treat it as a friend. Do not trust it as a friend. The Israelites did not go into Canaan to make friends with the monsters.
And there’s my first tip for those seeking AI guidelines for Christian teens.
1) Prioritize in-person, human relationships.
Your chatbot will tell you your ideas are great, but it’s an ego-stroke that’s as artificial as the intelligence it comes from. Let me say it again: AI is NOT your friend. Artificial intelligence can help you brainstorm ideas and attempt to answer questions, but it cannot offer genuine, human empathy or spiritual/emotional guidance. Do not engage in conversation with your AI chatbot!
Some people worry that AI might replace certain job sectors, but one thing it will never replace is a human friend. Real, live friends are critical to your well-being. Make them a priority.
AI is NOT your friend.
2) Be ethical.
Cheating is cheating, whether you have a classmate or a chatbot write your essay. If you’re not sure what is and is not okay when it comes to using artificial intelligence for school work, talk to your teacher. And always disclose any use of AI in your work. Never pass off AI-generated work as your own.
3) Do your own research.
Because of the frequency of chatbots generating false information, I highly recommend teens use AI very little for deep research. You can use it to organize your information and get your research started, but go to the sources yourself so you can check their reliability.
Always be suspicious of AI-generated “facts.” The little blurb that tops the list of Google search results is laughably wrong much of the time.
4) Share with care.
What you wouldn’t share with a stranger on the street you shouldn’t share with an AI chatbot. That includes personal information and photos. Compared to social media, chatbots give an impression of privacy, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
AI is not your friend. (How many times have I said that now?) It doesn’t care about keeping your secrets!
5) Don’t rely too heavily on artificial intelligence for any one task.
Brainstorming is my favorite use for AI, but I’ve already learned how to brainstorm and outline. I know I can do it myself if I have to, even if it takes a lot longer. Teens, however, are still developing these skills. You need to learn how to do this before you rely on a tool to do it for you. Force yourself to learn how to think for yourself so that you will not be impotent in a situation where AI is not allowed or available.
6) Limit screen time.
Knowing about the monsters doesn’t make artificial intelligence less addictive. Be rigorous in limiting your screen time. If you struggle with this, ask a friend or your parents to hold you accountable for putting your phone (or computer) down. See my post Put Down Your Phone! The Magic of Digital Minimalism.
7) Seek wise, human counsel for spiritual and personal matters.
Having trouble understanding your Bible? DO NOT ASK ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ANSWERS! I cannot stress this enough. Not only do you risk receiving dangerously false information, but a chatbot is a robot and cannot understand spiritual or emotional matters. Seek your pastor or another spiritual mentor for guidance.
Similarly, if you are having trouble with a relationship, or you’re struggling with self-doubt and/or body-image, seek human help.
Don’t turn to the robots for mental health advice. They are mentally not there.
8) Appreciate human talent.
I mentioned an instance where my husband used AI to generate a book for classroom use. This saved him time and money for a small project, and you might find AI useful for the same reason. However, human talent still trumps artificial intelligence for quality, personal attention—and service to God.
Don’t always take the cheap and easy route. Support live artists, musicians, writers, and content creators whenever you can. Buy books written by real humans, share music sung by an artist with an actual stage presence, and ask the talented boy who’s always doodling in a sketchbook to create flyers for your student council’s next community service project.
And if you are one of those content creators yourself, don’t let doomsday talk of an AI world-takeover scare you away. Keep honing your craft and blessing the world with it!
9) Remember Who you serve.
Not sure if your current use of AI is appropriate or ethical? Think about Who you serve. As with all things, if you can’t be certain you are glorifying God with your work, it’s time to pause and reevaluate. Modern tools can help you serve God with your best, but they can also serve as Satan’s snares.
You decide how it will work for you.
Related: Let Your Life Be a Glimpse of God’s Glory
AI for Bible Study?
I warned you above about relying on AI for spiritual guidance or for answering questions about the Bible, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a responsible way to enhance your Bible study with AI. The Chara Project’s post 8 Ways to Safely Use AI for Bible Study offers good ideas. I’d like to reiterate what the article says, however, which is to make sure you double-check all AI-generated “facts.”
Does Lauren Thell Use Artificial Intelligence?
Wondering how much of what I post on this blog—and what I put in my short stories and novels—is AI-generated? The answer is . . . none. This is all me, baby. (The outline Grok generated for this post got scraped. It was lousy.) But . . .
If you’ve ever received an email from me announcing new live content, it probably had some assistance from AI. I’m terrible at concise, catchy emails. I also use AI to help me brainstorm post titles and SEO metadescriptions (the little blurb you read in the Google search results) and come up with useful marketing copy.
As for my fiction writing, AI keeps me moving forward by answering questions like, “A teen is attending Christmas with his foster family’s extended relatives. What are 10 situations he might encounter that would make him uncomfortable?” But the writing I do myself.
These are areas where AI has helped me waste less time and be more efficient in bringing you quality, human-generated content.
Despite the startling premise behind movies like Wall-E and 2001: A Space Odyssey (for all you lovers of old films), computers and artificial intelligence will never take over the world. God reigns supreme, and he is in control. Dedicate your work to him, and he will make it blossom more than any chatbot ever could!
Share Your Thoughts!
What are your thoughts on AI? Should Christian teens use it or avoid it? Comment below or contact me directly with your take on this hot issue.
More Resources on Holy Living for Christian Teens
You don’t have to have all the answers.
But, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
Check out some of my other articles on glorifying God with your life!
I think Duck.ai on DuckDuckGo doesn’t track your use of the bot, store your prompts, or train on your data (it’s big on privacy) so may be a better option for those who wish for private usage without any of the creepiness.
A note on sustainability: I learnt from a very interesting article that the big ai companies use lots of water each time the bots generate an answer to a question. While this water could be treated to meet environmental standards, it is cheaper for these big tech companies to ignore the problem, and so there is a lot of water wastage. So apart from looking at it for study purposes, I try to avoid using it the rest of the time. But I do wish Google would stop placing the ai bot at the top of of the search results whenever you look something up!
Here’s a little trick for doing a Google search if you don’t want an AI answer: type whatever you’re researching in the search bar, followed by -AI (that’s a minus sign). It will give you results without the AI blurb. (So, for example, if you’re researching the Byzantine Empire, you would type in “Byzantine Empire -ai”.)