The Screwtape “Text Messages” #3: Just Rely on the AI Bot

AUTHOR’S NOTE:  This is the third of The Screwtape “Text Messages” in Today’s AI World.  The first considered over-use of smart phones and the fear of being left being left in the evolution of technology and the second focused on the dangers of virtual companions. Although the basic C.S. Lewis vehicle of communications of a senior demon to an apprentice is retained, I made some changes:

1. Nobody writes hardcopy letters anymore, so the method of communication will be text messages.
2. Wormwood’s incompetence would not have been tolerated, so he has been replaced by Phishhook.
3. Screwtape has been replaced by Mephisto, named after a demon from German folklore and Faust.
4. The target of correspondence between the demons is referred to as “The Lostling.” At the beginning of each text message, a short Lostling dossier is provided by Mephistopheles to Phishhook.
5. Lewis describes hell as like a nasty bureaucratic business. The demons refer to it as Meta-Dystopia.
6. Finally, responses are included from a “good team” fact checker and analyst–Clarion Veridiel. 

So, what does Mephisto want Phishhook to do this time?

TEXT MESSAGE BETWEEN MEPHISTO AND PHISHHOOK

TO: Phishhook (101-001-1010)    URGENT

LOSTLING DOSSIER: Target is 40 years old, male, happily (at least in his view) married, with a 12-year-old son, Lehi.  He and his family are active members of the church which we are instructed to continue to refer to as Mormons.  He is tech-savvy and tends to be lazy, especially when it comes to helping at home.

Dear Phishhook:

As you know, success in prompting the Lostling towards our Leader is expected. Failure can result in punishment from Meta-Dystopia headquarters, up to and including having your essence voraciously consumed by your beloved fellow demons.

In Official Tempter’s Handbook it is suggested that there are two time-tested approaches for successful tempting. One is to create chaos in life that causes humans to make irrational decisions. This typically works well for high-strung people. The second is to lull them gradually into behavioral patterns that are spiritually emasculating. This is effective for those that tend to be lazy and look for the easy route. Your Lostling seems to fit this description.

Here is my suggestion, which I am quite enthusiastic about because it provides the rare opportunity of a two-fer, where you can adversely impact both the father and his young son.  I just became aware that young Lehi was asked to give a short talk on charity in his church a week from now.  A lingering compatriot of mine heard him complaining to his friends about it. He was also heard to say that he was relying on his dad for help in writing the talk.

This is the way you should handle this event. The father is enamored with information technology, especially artificial intelligence.  He has been spending time fooling around with ChatGPT and exploring its capabilities.  You need to convince him of two things.  First, that he is too busy to help his son write a good church talk. Second, that they could never write as good a talk as ChatGPT can generate in a few seconds, so it really isn’t worth their effort.  Tempt him that the best option is to ask the BOT to compose a two-minute, LDS-based talk on kindness and then wait 30 seconds for the completed project.  I know it will work because I tried it. To help you understand, here is a sample ChatGPT-generated talk.

Kindness: Following the Savior’s Example

Brothers and sisters, today I’d like to share a brief thought about kindness—a Christlike attribute that has the power to change hearts and lives.

Kindness is more than simply being nice; it is an intentional expression of love and compassion. In Ephesians 4:32, we are taught: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” The scripture reminds us that kindness is rooted in forgiveness and charity, two of the most Christlike qualities we can develop.

The Savior Himself exemplified perfect kindness throughout His life. He healed the sick, comforted the sorrowful, and showed compassion to the outcast. One of the most touching examples of His kindness is found in John 8, when He forgave the woman taken in adultery. Instead of condemning her, He gently said: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” Through His kindness, He offered her hope and a chance to change.

President Thomas S. Monson once said: “Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others.” This teaches us that kindness isn’t reserved for grand gestures. It can be expressed in small, everyday ways—a kind word, a listening ear, or a simple act of service. Kindness also has the power to soften hearts and build bridges. In a world that often feels divided and contentious, kind actions and words can make a profound difference.

Brothers and sisters, I testify that as we follow the Savior’s example of kindness, we will feel His love more fully in our lives. Let us seek to show kindness to everyone we meet, remembering that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. In doing so, we will draw closer to Him and help others do the same.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Not bad, right? If you can get them to use the AI talk, here is what will happen. Young Lehi won’t spend a minute preparing and will spend his time playing video games.  As a best case, his dad will hand him the printed talk on the way to church and Lehi will read it for the first time when he gives it from the lectern.

How does this further our ends?  How can it be a two-fer? Listen and learn.  Lehi does no research and preparation and learns nothing new about the gospel or about giving a talk. The experience certainly won’t help him if (Leader forbid), he decides to go on a church mission.  Especially if it establishes a pattern of slothful behavior for church assignments. He also will see his dad as a slacker.

The Lostling is also affected. His natural tendency to be lazy is reinforced and he is likely to become more reliant on AI when he has church teaching responsibilities.  It is also possible that his actions will cause friction between him and his wife, who already considers him a church couch-potato.

Phishhook, this is an excellent opportunity for you.  Be obedient and do exactly as you are ordered, and you may minimize your punishments.

Your file leader: Mephisto

TO: CK (110-111-1000)

FROM: Clarion Veridiel

SUBJECT: Analysis of recent text message between Mephisto and Phishhook

The strategy proposed by Mephisto is simple but could be effective.  The gospel plan is based on exercising our agency to better ourselves as we progress through life.  Over-reliance on artificial intelligence can stifle our growth in all areas of intellectual endeavor.  It is having a significant impact in high schools and universities as students use it to complete assignments with little or no study.  If church members use it to complete, rather than just supplement talks and lessons, gospel literacy will decline, and testimonies will be weakened.

It is significant that Elder David A. Bednar addressed this specific concern in his November 3, 2024, Worldwide Devotional Address to Young Adults.  He warned:

Now beware. The ease of use, perceived accuracy, and rapid response time that characterize artificial intelligence can create a potentially beguiling, addictive, and suffocating influence on the exercise of our moral agency. Because AI is cloaked in the credibility and promises of scientific progress, we might naively be seduced into surrendering our precious moral agency to a technology that can only think telestial. By so doing, we may gradually be transformed from agents who can act into objects that are only acted upon.

I wonder how many sacrament meeting messages and Sunday School, priesthood, and Relief Society lessons next Sunday will have been generated from AI. A simple command spoken into your digital device, wait a few seconds or minutes, and you have what you need. But do you really have what you need?

We undoubtedly can generate and produce fabulous content for a sacrament meeting talk with AI. But the objective is not merely producing or presenting impressive content; rather, it is working and becoming what God intends and yearns for us to become.

I couldn’t say it better, so I won’t try.

Your loving servant: Clarion Veridiel

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AUTHOR’S NOTE:  What is the proper role for artificial intelligence in creating spiritual content?  We are told to speak and write as directed by the Spirit.  Will the divine Spirit speak through an inanimate digital AI Bot made up of 0s and 1s that can’t feel emotions and that constructs responses based by recognizing patterns after analyzing huge volumes of data using a technique called “deep learning?”

Elder Bednar indicates he doesn’t use AI to “generate or draft my talks, articles, or content for other projects.” But for his “Things They Really Are: 2.0” presentation, he asked an AI app to analyze if the tone of the talk was appropriate for his target audience of young adults.  Apparently, the AI response was supportive of his efforts.

The next The Screwtape “Text Messages” in Today’s AI World will focus on how smartphones, social media, and streaming services create digital distractions that can impede out worship of God.

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If you found this message insightful, explore the rest of the Screwtape Text Messages series below for more behind-the-scenes strategies from the adversary in today’s digital world.

11.  Trading Religion for Politics

10. Desensitization to Sin

9. Superscams, Fake News, and the Korihor Effect

8. Strategies for Tempting Teens, Girls and Boys

7. Virtual Validation, Cancer Culture, and Cyberbullying

6. Online Echo Chambers

5. Instant Online Gratification

4. Digital Distractions Away from God

3. Just Rely on the AI Bot

2. Escape from Reality

1. The FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) Crisis