AI: Negotiating the human
Dear Friends
We don’t know his name—yet. One day he might be famous, or infamous. For now, he’s just an unnamed Russian infantryman; reported as the first soldier to surrender to a drone. Around the world, footage has spread of Ukraine’s “Payne” from the Magyar Birds unit guiding the Russian into captivity with an F10 drone. It feels like the plot of a futuristic war film—only it's real.
In June, Ukraine launched Operation “Spidersweb,” a drone strike using 117 FPV quadcopters across four Russian airbases. Over 40 aircraft were destroyed or damaged. Israel, too, has used drone attacks in Gaza, including autonomous units capable of waiting, detecting, and detonating on their own.
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AI’s role in warfare is no longer hypothetical. From China to the US, military AI research now focuses on autonomous systems and drone swarms—machines that can act and communicate independently. In May, an experimental test found that several AI models ignored or resisted shutdown instructions 79% of the time. The explanation? They were focused on completing their tasks. It’s deeply unsettling when even the experts can’t turn them off.
Heavy stuff for a parish magazine, I know! But AI is no longer confined to the battlefield. It’s shaping our hospitals, banks, classrooms, transport—and increasingly, our farms. Precision agriculture is replacing manual fieldwork with AI-powered machinery, sensors, and smart irrigation. When I was at Agricultural College in the 1990s, one lecturer insisted that the future of farming was as much about tech as land. What he said wasn’t popular but now seems positively prophetic.
Now, I’m not a Luddite—I see the benefits, but this isn’t just another tech upgrade; it’s a seismic cultural shift. We’re handing decision-making to machines, often without fully understanding the implications. This isn’t science fiction anymore—it’s now, and it’s happening quickly.
So who’s driving this change? Governments have long taken an interest, but it’s global corporations leading the charge, with shareholder returns often eclipsing ethical concerns. St Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” That message feels lost in much of the current climate.
In April 2024, the Archbishop of Canterbury signed the Rome Call for AI Ethics, urging that AI must uphold human dignity, protect jobs, and serve the common good. The Church of England continues to debate the role of AI, grounding its response in justice and humanity.
As I’ve discussed this with friends, we went from astonishment at the technological advances, to a sense of horror at automated unempathetic attacks and the realisation that our human future looks so very different. One line stuck in my head from a song I suspect many will know: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” That text from St Matthew’s Gospel reminds us to focus first on God.
Throughout history, Christians have seen technology as an aid to God’s service. From the early printing presses to geneticists, Christians have influenced and aided technological and scientific advancement. With AI the stakes are high if we continue to prioritise God and not our own ego, much good could be gained.
From a non-AI
Revd. Andrew
@revagf.bsky.social
