Elder David A. Bednar said that “neither digital innovations nor rapid change in and of themselves are good or evil,” but must be placed in their proper context of the eternal plan of happiness. Each innovation has potential for both “limitless perils and untold possibilities,” he said, quoting President David O. McKay.

Elder Bednar gave those remarks in a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults on November 3, 2024, where he offered apostolic guidance for living the gospel in a new technological context. His remarks were titled “Things as They Really Are 2.0,” an update to a talk he gave 15 years earlier, titled “Things as They Really Are.”

Elder Bednar posed two questions for us to consider:

1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?

On the positive side, Elder Bednar said that AI, meant to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving abilities, has “the potential of advancing knowledge, improving our quality of life, facilitating communication and connection, enhancing personal learning and growth, and fostering creativity and innovation.”

Elder Bednar warned that “AI also has the potential to obscure our true identity as sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, distract us from the eternal truths and righteous work necessary for spiritual growth, engender pride and a diminished acknowledgment of our dependence upon God, and distort or replace meaningful human interaction.”

Elder Bednar encouraged us to do two things as we navigate the intersection of spirituality and technology:

1. Identify gospel principles that can guide our use of artificial intelligence.
2. Strive sincerely for the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the spiritual gift of revelation.

Elder Bednar invited us to review the document “Principles for Church Use of Artificial Intelligence,” distributed by the Church earlier this year. He explained that these principles can “provide a strong foundation upon which you can build your personal safeguards against the perils of inappropriate technology usage.”

For example, if we used AI to generate a sacrament meeting talk or Sunday School lesson, we would miss out on an opportunity to grow spiritually through righteous study and learning. “The objective is not merely producing or presenting impressive content,” Elder Bednar explained. “Rather, it is working and becoming what God intends and yearns for us to become.”

Read the full transcript of Elder Bednar’s talk “Things as They Really Are 2.0.”

Learn more in the article “An Apostolic Invitation: Embrace Moral Agency and Righteous Work in the Age of AI.”