Navigating Ethical Dilemmas as a Christian Executive

Earlier this year I stumbled across ChatGPT, and as someone who’s top 3 strengths are Achiever, Maximiser and Adaptability (Strengths Finder) and as enneagram 3. It didn’t take very long for me to dive in to explore and use it. (If you haven’t heard of ChatGPT you may want to Google that before reading on). But I did ask it, and this was the response “ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI that is capable of generating human-like responses to natural language input.” And true to its description ChatGPT can produce (in seconds) reports, copywriter content, strategic advice and insights, conduct research, provide data driven insights, craft social media content, develop brand messaging, create press releases, write sermons, craft devotions, provide customer support, write essays, courseware outlines and so much more! To an an achiever this feels like a dream. And then this week, my email support application (MailButler) came out with AI support in writing emails. (Winning!!)

• December 2022 – 1 Million
• January 2023 – 57 Million
• February 2023 – 100 Million

But all this efficiency has also made me stop and consider how do we navigate this new AI era as a Christian leader? What are some of the ethical considerations? 

We are all probably familiar with more common ethical dilemmas such as hiring, 
finances and confidentiality. But what about AI? What are the ethical considerations as a Christian leader using AI? 

As with any tool, there are both ethical and unethical ways to use AI. 
On the one hand, using ChatGPT can be a helpful and efficient way for organisations to automate certain tasks, provide customer support, and generate content. In some cases, it may even improve accessibility for individuals who have difficulty communicating through traditional means. 

However, there are several ethical considerations we should keep in mind when using ChatGPT.

Bias: Like any AI technology, ChatGPT can be influenced by the biases and stereotypes that may be present in the data used to train the model. This can perpetuate and amplify harmful stereotypes and discrimination. It is important to evaluate the data used to train the model and take steps to mitigate any biases that may be present. 

Accountability: Organisations that use ChatGPT should be accountable for its use and take responsibility for any negative consequences that may arise. This may involve implementing safeguards to prevent misuse and having clear policies and guidelines for its use. 

Privacy: When you interact with ChatGPT, your conversations and data are stored and processed by the AI system. It’s important to ensure that your organisation’s policies on data privacy and security are followed to protect the privacy of employees, stakeholders, and customers.

Human oversight: While ChatGPT can generate human-like responses, it is important to have human oversight to ensure that the responses are appropriate and ethical. This can involve reviewing and moderating responses generated by the model and intervening when necessary.