“I’m not a robot."

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book! Psalm 139: 13-16 Living Bible

At my part-time job I frequently need to refer to a website for specific information used in my assessment. As the website opens, you are given a choice that says, “I’m not a robot”. Then you have to prove it by checking off pictures of crosswalks, storefronts, stop lights, etc. I suppose technology has reached the point that only thinking humans are allowed to check this website, not robots.

While on my spring birding trip to Texas—Christi and I visited the NASA Center in Houston. There we saw a number of robots busy learning to do specific jobs in preparation for space travel to Mars. Some were just big industrial arms moving things and putting things together, while others were sort of shaped like humans, and were actively participating in problem solving. The uses for artificial intelligence were amazing until we watched a robot learning a new activity –opening a car door. Now we do this simply—however,  the robot was not able to do it even after numerous tries.

I could not help but think of the scripture above. We were wonderfully made to be wonderfully complex. What marvelous workmanship God has given us. Even the smartest of computers and robots cannot do the things we can. Artificial intelligence is the hope for tomorrow, but it can’t easily identify simple pictures that our children excel at.

Prayer: Thank you, God, our creator. Your love for us is evident in all our being. We are not programmed robots, but thinking, breathing, individual beings. Robots may be used to pave the way for astronauts to go to Mars, but the journey will not be complete  until man resides there. We are truly wonderfully made. Amen

Nancy Hall