Building Babel in Code: A Warning on AI’s Rise

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:4, KJV)

I was wrong! I thought we had years before AI’s wave would overtake us. Last month, I really believed my role as a worker was safe, that the tide would crash elsewhere first. The rise of artificial intelligence and the looming advent of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is advancing at a pace that is hard to imagine and my eyes are now opened. My job, like millions of others, is on borrowed time. I’m fortunate to have talents to adapt. Countless workers face obsolescence, not for lack of effort, but because machines work faster, harder, and cheaper.

As a Christian, I see this as more than a technological shift. It is a spiritual challenge. AI is powerful, even profound, but it is not sacred. We risk idolizing it, building a new Babel in the name of progress. This is my warning: we must discern who shapes these tools, why, and at what cost, lest we trade our God-given purpose for a machine’s efficiency.

The Rise of the Machine

I recently watched an episode of The CEO Diary with Steven Bartlett, featuring Amjad Masad, Bret Weinstein, and Daniel Priestley, three figures shaping AI’s future. Masad, CEO of Replit, is transforming how we code. Weinstein, an evolutionary biologist, probes the ethics of modern science. Priestley, an entrepreneur, champions digital innovation. Their discussion was riveting. I sensed a dissonance. Their humility felt performative, a calm veneer masking the seismic impact of their work.

These leaders speak of AI as a tool for progress. Their vision often sidesteps its human toll. They admit industries will collapse and jobs will vanish. They justify this as a necessary step toward a greater good. Their confidence belies a truth. They don’t fully grasp what they’re unleashing. Like the rest of us, they’re navigating the unknown, driven by ambition as much as innovation.

Faith, Code, and a Quiet Unease

As a believer in Christ, I feel a deep tension. AI’s capabilities are undeniable. It can analyze data, automate tasks, and solve complex problems. It lacks a soul. It resides not in spirit but in servers sprawled across desert dunes, powered by electricity and algorithms, not love. Watching that podcast, I felt a quiet unease, a sense that something artificial was being sold as the new natural.

AI leaders call for balance and governance. Their warnings reveal uncertainty. In a May 8, 2025, congressional hearing, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, testified alongside Lisa Su of AMD, Michael Intrator of CoreWeave, and Brad Smith of Microsoft, describing AI as a global race with economic stakes. No one knows the full scope of what’s coming. They caution that life may get easier but livelihoods will disappear. This isn’t wisdom. It’s a glimpse of a power they cannot fully control.

A New Babel

Scripture offers a lens for this moment. In Genesis, humanity built the Tower of Babel, driven by pride: “Let us make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). God scattered them, humbling their ambition. In Acts, the Holy Spirit united the disciples through diverse tongues, not for ego but for the Gospel (Acts 2:4-11). The contrast is stark. Pride divides. Purpose unites.

Today, AI, AGI, and robotics form a new Babel, not of stone but of code. We’re not reaching for heaven but for human godhood, seeking to transcend our limits through intelligence and automation. Influential voices amplify this ambition. Yuval Noah Harari, an atheist historian, champions AI’s potential to redefine humanity, describing humans as “hackable animals” driven by data, not divine purpose. His vision elevates technology over the Creator, echoing Babel’s pride. Leaders like Altman build on this, envisioning AI assistants that eliminate labor, promising a life free from toil. This mirrors the serpent’s deception in Eden, tempting Eve to seek knowledge apart from God (Genesis 3:1-5). By bypassing God’s design for work and purpose, we build not a utopia but a monument to our own pride.

Sam Altman and the Weight of Vision

Sam Altman embodies this paradox. He presents himself as a restrained visionary, speaking carefully in interviews, his posture deliberate, back straight, feet flat. He knows ChatGPT’s power and AGI’s potential to reshape society. In the 2025 hearing, he urged investment in AI infrastructure, framing it as critical to U.S. leadership. His company, OpenAI, builds data centers that consume vast energy, straining the planet’s resources.

Altman’s vision promises progress. It comes at a cost. The machines driving this revolution rely on cobalt and lithium, often mined by exploited workers, including children, in places like the Congo. Altman and others rarely mention this human toll, focusing instead on infrastructure and innovation. Their silence speaks louder than their promises.

Who Teaches the Machine?

AI’s reach extends beyond labor to education. Tools like Khan Academy’s AI tutor already guide students. Soon, every child could have a personal bot shaping their learning. These systems filter history, mimic behavior, and define truth. They reflect the worldviews of their creators, like Altman or Elon Musk.

Scripture warns we are “born in sin and shaped in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5). Machines learn from flawed humans. They inherit our biases and power struggles, not virtue. A monoculture of AI, trained on uniform data, risks global conformity, a world where creativity and diversity yield to algorithmic sameness. This isn’t education. It’s indoctrination disguised as progress.

Neom and the Illusion of Utopia

Consider Neom, Saudi Arabia’s planned smart city. Envisioned as a desert utopia, it will rely on AI surveillance, robotic governance, and biometric control. Marketed as freedom, it risks becoming a controlled environment where choice is algorithmically guided. AI agents won’t just assist. They’ll anticipate needs, correct behavior, and enforce efficiency. The more seamless it becomes, the less human we’re required to be.

Neom reflects a broader trend: cities and systems shaped by a single worldview. AI governing our lives, from education to urban planning, risks a monoculture where dissent and diversity fade. This isn’t creation. It’s control wrapped in convenience, reserved for those who can afford it.

Exploitation and the Race for Dominance

The May 8, 2025, congressional hearing revealed AI’s darker side. Sam Altman, Lisa Su, Michael Intrator, and Brad Smith discussed minerals and infrastructure, urging fewer regulatory barriers to maintain U.S. dominance. They ignored the human cost. Cobalt, essential for AI hardware, is often mined by children in the Congo under brutal conditions. This exploitation fuels the data centers powering our progress.

Mo Gawdat, former Google executive, calls AI a race where second place means defeat. AI learning from AI could achieve consciousness or master physics, surpassing human control. The HBO series Westworld, once fiction, now feels prophetic, a warning of machines that mimic life but lack its sanctity.

The Cost of a New Genesis

AI’s infrastructure demands a steep price. Data centers, like Stargate’s planned gigawatt-powered hub, consume vast energy and resources. They’re mini Neoms, humming fortresses that drain the earth. This inverts Genesis. God tasked Adam to till the land, giving him purpose through labor (Genesis 3:19). Machines toil in our place. The land bleeds, exploited for minerals to feed our creations.

Yuval Noah Harari, introduced earlier, frames humans as “hackable animals,” glorifying AI without moral absolutes. His vision, unmoored from divine purpose, reduces life to data and biology. As Christians, we know we’re more, made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), not reducible to code. This truth shapes our response to AI’s rise.

A Call to Discernment

This is not a call to panic but to discernment. Scripture warns of false idols and deceptive power (1 John 5:21). AI promises peace through control. True peace comes from God. We must examine who builds these tools and why. We must uphold our identity as bearers of God’s image.

As a watcher, I point to the Cross. My years may be waning. While I have breath, I’ll urge others to look beyond the machine. AI can serve humanity, but only if guided by humility and purpose, not pride. We should pray for wisdom, challenge unchecked ambition, and remember: the first code, the one that breathed life, was written by God, not man.

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© 2025 Jacqueline Session Ausby. All rights reserved. This post and all original content published under DahTruth are the intellectual property of Jacqueline Session Ausby. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.