By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
To say I am a fledgling when it comes to AI is generous. I am still soaking wet and honestly haven’t pecked my way out of my shell, truth be told. But peering out, I have had my eye on something that both delights and nearly horrifies me, and that is the recent trend of using AI-generated babies to sing and preach the Gospel. I have at times laughed, gone, “Awwwww,” and have also gotten squirmy. I would be interested in hearing what you think, truly.
So, let’s start with the “Awwwww….” factor. Little toddler kiddos crinkling up their noses as they sing their hearts out to the solid urban lyrics of “Don’t Play With Me, God On My Side.” The object of the declaration is of course the defeated one, and you have everything from mini-cops standing in front of their patrol cars to the Taj Mahal praising God and thanking Him for His protection in good times and bad. “Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph” becomes old strength in a new way.
Next, there is the literal newborn whose nose is still smashed down on his face and is navigating on his not-yet-straightened-out neo-natal legs out the doors of the hospital. A voice calls out, “Hey, where ya goin’? You just got here!” The baby turns around and in a firm child’s voice states, “This generation needs Jesus, and I’m going out to preach the Gospel.” Good on ya, li’l brother! Get after it!
Then there are endless, wonderful Gospel songs with powerful voices that “remind you of powerful voices.” Okay…. These have reached number one on Gospel charts, and why we have to number anything on Gospel charts (wutttt?) still makes me scratch my head. I suppose it could be argued that hymnwriters of old that still show up are chart-toppers after all this time, but that is probably a topic for another day. And, I seriously doubt that they had “trending” on their minds when they were singing the old, old story that is still relevant today.
Now, for some serious cons. I am not Catholic, but whoever created Father Justin, who I guess ultimately became “the AI priest formerly known as Father Justin” (and just became just Justin) apparently asserted that babies could be baptized with Gatorade. Ummmmm, no. Whether you believe in infant baptism or not is not the point, here. Gatorade externally applied is for drenching coaches’ heads after a playoff victory. Water is for baptism. Any questions?
For me, at this point, the pros are winning, but not by a landslide. I have found myself humming and singing Gospel truths with a smile on my face as I remember those adorable babies. And then, I also have to tell myself, “Ummm, Ali, they are not real.” True, and the question is, if one of those “babies” opens someone up to the love of God and they surrender to it, (the love, not the baby,) is that a bad thing? You tell me.
