What’s a piece of technology you’re convinced will exist in 20 years?
We are interested in the lifespan of man-made technology. But aren’t we more concerned with how technology might shorten the lifespan of the human workforce—or even lead to human extinction?
A quick search on Google will yield comprehensive answers regarding the threats AI poses to human workers. Yet Stephen Hawking’s primary concern—that super-intelligent AI could outwit and replace humanity—is often ignored. His predictions rest on the terrifying premise that AI might re-engineer itself at an exponential rate, leaving human biological evolution unable to compete, ultimately leading to our extinction.
However threatening Hawking’s warning may be, others fanatically invest in AI, driven by the vast, unimaginable benefits it promises. We already see the pros and cons of AI agents. In less than 20 years, investors will likely reap enormous gains, but many more workers will lose their livelihoods—as robots replace manual labour, autonomous robo-taxis displace drivers, AI systems profess to be psychologists, and AI surgeons operate at full scale.
Technology does not know how to pause and rethink—but its inventors, unfortunately, show little desire to pause either. They are reluctant to review an industry that is immensely profitable for them yet deeply harmful to the working class. Governments, for now, have yet to feel the heat of Hawking’s warning. But when they do, will it be too late?
It is often said that honest advice is unpleasant to the ear. Yet perhaps today’s prompt invites us to slow down and reflect on how painful it is when we ignore the truth—whether that truth is visible to our eyes or hidden from them. Hawking’s bold warning urged us not to dig our own graves. His fear of extinction is merely a shadow of a deeper spiritual extinction. The God-breathed Scriptures—the eternal Truth—are often despised. Human greed is rooted in our flawed nature, and that same nature compels us to deny what we cannot immediately see.
Today, many embrace AI for its calculated benefits—that is their perceived truth. Yet the Truth that guides us towards eternal life offers no immediate material gain, and for that reason, many do not receive it. They do not receive the Lord Jesus Christ—the Saviour who offers deliverance from true extinction (2 Peter 3:5-7 & 10).
As for me, when I pause and reflect, I discern more clearly what I see—and what I have yet to see. AI is a product of human wisdom, beneficial only when used wisely and scrupulously. Whether seen or unseen, I believe that the real Truth endures forever. May this poem shed light on your own reflections on the Truth.
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✨Safety and Peril Are One✨
To dwell in safety yet brood over peril—
Thinking too much is to seek out one’s own troubles.
To dwell in peril yet yearn for safety—
Thinking too small saps the strength from life.
Life’s transformations all stem from belief or unbelief.
For the one who believes, even in peril there is safety.
There is no fear in the Truth, for He comes to give life—not to kill life.
✨Completion and Return✨
Fate and affection once were friends by nature,
And love and hate each have their order.
Yet there was a time when man reversed the way—
Hate surpassed love, and evil conquered good.
The heart is deep and hidden, yet known to You;
Who can escape the presence of Your face?
Your only Son, the Word, You gave for us,
To turn from darkness to light—this is my choice.
The heavens themselves were changed as if torn down,
All creation waits, reborn, with hope for me.
How long, O Lord, how long will You endure?
Completion and return are found in calling on Your name.
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en yan hua fang 