Superintelligence and the Time of the End

As AI advances toward “superintelligence,” the real question isn’t just what it can do but what it means for faith, wisdom, and where we place our trust.

By Dave Jennings

Read Time: 6 minutes

Daniel’s prophecy reveals a frightening end-time period for Israel. It is described as a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Daniel 12:1). But we have confidence that there is a shining hope beyond this tragic period. The Kingdom of God will usher in the greatest experience this earth has ever witnessed. The hopelessness and chaos of the world, for which man has no answers, will be systematically transformed into a world of peace and righteousness. The surety of that Kingdom and the hope of the resurrection are the very center of our lives. It represents the revelation of God’s plan to men and women. It is what our community defines as true wisdom.

In our consideration of the events that take place in the Last Days, it is rightly common for us to focus on the warnings in the Olivet Prophecy (Luke 21:25-28). There will be tangible signs, such as the return of Israel to the land, for which we have declared to be a sign of the Lord’s return. There are other signs, some of which are foreboding. Problems facing the world that appear to have no solution. Nations raging and roaring like the untamed sea. Even believers are at risk of being asleep, caught up in the cares of this life.

I’d like to briefly highlight a genuine concern that appears to be widely shared among scholars, politicians, and business leaders. It is the movement from advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) to “superintelligence.” When Daniel was told that the vision he had received was concluded and would later be completed by the Lord Jesus Christ with the Revelation, an interesting angelic communication was given to him. “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4).

Young’s Literal Translation suggests “knowledge shall be increased” as “knowledge is multiplied.” The context is about men and women running “to and fro.” This phrase is used in many situations in Scripture. Zechariah spoke of the angelic presence of God when he described the seven “eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:10). However, when speaking of people, whether Israel or the ecclesia, it tends to be about being directionless, vacillating, and being carried away. Knowledge increased, but it only led to confusion and sorrow.

I’m not an AI expert, so please accept that this will not be a technical paper. However, when leading scholars and futurists speak about the dawning of “superintelligence,” they describe a world that is vastly different from one any of us has experienced. Philosopher Nick Bostrom defines superintelligence as “any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest.”¹ Superintelligence is achieved when the gap between human thinking, reasoning, and responsiveness widens ever further relative to computers. When we move from advanced AI to superintelligence, it will be much more than a new tool for greater task efficiency. Superintelligence places AI above humans. It redefines what life as a human will be. It is not a tool, but an agent.

Now, that may sound like Orwellian science fiction right now. But experts believe that superintelligence may be achieved by as early as 2030, or as late as 2045. The fact is, we are all using AI right now, whether we know it or not. Your smartphone is loaded with AI features, including the nifty camera that senses and focuses. My son has a Tesla, and I am amazed how he never touched the wheel once as we went into Los Angeles for an event. We have Alexa in our kitchen, which can answer questions, inform us of Amazon deliveries, or make dinner recommendations. We use language translation tools (e.g., Google Translate) that have huge benefits for preaching. My wife turns down the heater at our home in California via an app on her phone while we are traveling in Europe. Zoom, which has transformed our community’s connectivity, employs AI across various applications. AI is here. It is a tool that has already automated much of what we do.

But superintelligence is another kettle of fish. Experts argue that most jobs will be made redundant through superintelligence over the next 20 years. This progression is not just the automation of factory work or farming. It includes knowledge workers. We’ve already seen tens of thousands of jobs eliminated by AI applications in 2026. Through robotic inventions enabled by superintelligence, experts believe that almost all physical work will be done without humans. The plumber will be a robot. The robot doctor will make diagnoses and perform procedures robotically (already well underway). Super intelligent bots and robots will have much broader knowledge and understanding, greater problem-solving ability, and the lightning-fast capacity to learn and correct. These experts argue that we humans just can’t compete. Beyond this, the ongoing costs of these bots and robots are a small fraction of what humans require. They don’t need climate-controlled offices, they won’t require coffee breaks, and they won’t take vacations.

Looking at the potential impact this could have on society is staggering. Some argue that more than 90% of current jobs will be replaced by superintelligent bots or robots. One of the world’s main occupations is the driver, whether your local Uber driver, long-haul trucker, or airport shuttle employee. Today, those drivers may feel that they cannot be readily replaced. Who knows the roads and the traffic patterns as well as they do? However, driverless cars with AI-powered navigation are already in play. It is only a matter of time before driving as an occupation is virtually eliminated. In the past, when such occupations were made redundant by technological innovations, workers faced a difficult transition to new employment, but there was usually another pursuit they could be engaged in. When we’ve had prior technological breakthroughs, society’s challenge has been to redeploy those workers to a new industry or craft. The transition could be protracted and painful.

There seem to be daunting changes here as we look toward the dawn of the advanced AI age and superintelligence. What will life look like when humans are no longer needed as employees for most jobs? Even if you assume that we will be more plentiful in resources because of superintelligence, how will people spend unprecedented discretionary time? Humans have never existed when “work” wasn’t required. How will superintelligence change economic, governmental, and social systems?

Challenges to Ecclesial Life

But for us, how will superintelligence affect our walk in the Truth? Will we still view our own reading and comprehension of the Word of God as being non-delegable? How will superintelligence affect our view of the Word of God? Will we choose to deploy superintelligence to unravel Scriptural questions that generations previously would have approached through prayer and personal study? What do we lose when our own minds don’t reason through and discern the Word directly? Will we turn to superintelligence to author our articles, provide our exhortations, and lead our Bible classes? How will we differentiate the wisdom of God from superintelligence?

Still Man-Made

All data generated by superintelligence is of man-made origin. It is advanced, man-made intelligence, taken to a new level by computers. Superintelligence digests human knowledge, assesses it, refines it, and elevates it to new levels of understanding. A positive outcome, one would hope, would be rapid advances in medicine and the environment. What takes us decades to design and develop will be done in a fraction of that time. This aspect is the optimistic hope of superintelligence.

But there’s really nothing new here. Man has always celebrated, worshipped, and served the “creature” rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). Humans are obsessed with the discoveries they have made and the insights into nature and science they have learned through observation.

But, as Paul wrote, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25). The superintelligence created by humans is no match for God’s omniscience. By His command, the world was created, and by His breath all life is sustained. God is not impressed by human superintelligence, for He “hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

There may be a new age for humans that superintelligence will usher in. But in the end, it cannot save from the dust of the grave, sorrow, or pain. Only the wisdom of God can do that. Superintelligence will never save you.

Opportunity for the Gospel

Perhaps there is a great opportunity ahead for our community? In a world undergoing huge change and social upheaval, we can bring the real “superintelligence” of God to men and women. In a world drinking up increased knowledge, we can offer them what knowledge alone can’t—the wisdom of God. As Paul wrote, “Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:5).

I’ve often wondered how Western society might receive the wake-up call that leads to repentance. Would it be decreasing influence and power in the world? Economic insecurity? Or might it be a world we’ve created that subordinates man to a new image it has created in the form of superintelligence?

Man’s knowledge, no matter if it exists in our own heads or through superintelligence, is simply the mind of the flesh. As Paul wrote, “To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6). People will surely learn that without the Lord Jesus Christ, there can be no true peace. When men and women worship the true and living God, they are not subordinate to superintelligence or the thinking of men, but elevated as sons and daughters of God. In the end, all humans will learn just how empty the worship of the Creature always was.

Dave Jennings,
Simi Hills Ecclesia, CA