A Soulless Entity

Corporations are treated as persons under the law. They have boards of Directors who set policy, plans and objectives and Officers who carryout those directives. The theory is that the Corporation charter limits its purpose to operating a specified business or in the case of non-profits a charitable purpose. In my experience certain Corporations have done some very wicked things including criminal acts. The British East India Company was an early Corporation, under who’s name various atrocities were committed. It is impossible to put a Corporation in jail which limits its penalty to civil fines, even though it may commit criminal acts. For example, the UK Corporation, British Petroleum was considered guilty of negligent crimes associated with its oil drilling operations that seriously polluted American beaches along the Gulf. The Board of Directors and Officers of the Enron Corporation were prosecuted in connection with fraud resulting in thousands of its employees being robbed of their retirement funds. The Courts convicted the President and some others, but everyone was eventually exonerated on appeal, which illustrates the difficulty of spanning the divide between the Corporate person and its human directors and officers.

On the horizon a new soulless entity is rising – the Artificial Intelligent entity (AI). Congress was initially quick to raise alarms with calls for laws to control and protect people from this new entity. Now it  seems to be recede with Government working to permit the funding and building  of entire power plants solely devoted to powering the creation of a finalized AI entity. 

Imagine there was an entity which was the enemy of all mankind, given totally to the destruction of mankind in every way and means possible on both a macro and micro scale. That entity would be diabolical, therefore, let’s refer to it as Satan. Satan does have an eternal element, although, he is a created being cast out of Heaven after his failed attempt to overthrow God. (Isaiah 14). Like a corporation which is a person without a soul, the emerging AI is soulless, but it will not be dependent upon human directors, officers or employees. It cannot be put in jail. If it is found to have committed criminal acts, and society is substantially dependent upon it, what punitive action can apply without punishing all who have become dependent upon it? Moreover, given that Satan has exerted consistent evil influence upon mankind down through history, how delighted he would be to use the soulless AI entity for evil purposes. God has given mankind many advances in medicine, technology and industry to advance the Kingdom of God on earth, such as the printing press, radio and television. I see and hear no hint of AI doing the same.