#AI #OpenAI #ChatGPT: When it comes to bank regulations, what role could/should the Christian churches play?

I asked ChatGPT:

If Jesus Christ, instead of “Duc in Altum!” (Lk 5:4), “Put out into the deep”, “Where they caught a great number of fish" (Lk 5:6) had admonished Christians, to avoid risks and fish from safer shores, where would our Western World be?

ChatGPT answered:

Your thought-provoking question highlights the transformative power of bold action and trust in the face of uncertainty. If Jesus had urged His followers to play it safe rather than venture into the unknown, the Western world—and indeed global civilization—might have been markedly different in several ways:

1. Stifled Exploration and Innovation:

The spirit of "putting out into the deep" has inspired countless acts of exploration, scientific inquiry, and creative achievement. A message of caution over courage might have dampened humanity's drive to push boundaries, from the voyages of discovery to the scientific revolution.

2. Diminished Faith and Missionary Zeal:

Christianity's growth owes much to the willingness of believers to take risks—spiritually, socially, and physically. Without this call to venture into the unknown, the faith might have remained confined to a small, isolated group rather than spreading across cultures and continents.

3. Weakened Ethical Foundations:

Western culture has often been shaped by Christian ideals of self-sacrifice, courage, and perseverance in adversity. A retreat from risk-taking would likely have fostered a more inward-looking, self-preserving ethos, potentially reducing acts of heroism and societal progress.

4. Economic and Political Conservatism:

A risk-averse mindset might have led to more static economies and political systems, with less willingness to embrace new ideas, markets, or governance structures. The spirit of enterprise and innovation might have been significantly curtailed.

5. Cultural Fear of the Unknown:

Western literature, art, and philosophy are filled with themes of confronting fears, transcending limits, and embracing the mysterious. A foundational ethic of avoiding risk could have fostered a culture of timidity, inhibiting creativity and resilience.

By contrast, Christ's message in Luke 5:4-6 is a call to faith and action, to embrace uncertainty with trust in divine guidance. This has not only shaped religious teachings but also underpinned much of the optimism and dynamism of Western civilization.

Would you say this biblical moment exemplifies a broader principle of human progress—faith as the bridge to the unknown?

I asked/told ChatGPT:

I do, but I also think that the willingness to take risks’ “faith”, could be rooted in non-religious beliefs. 

That said: Two millenniums later, regulators gave banks incentives to fish more from safe shores, public debt and residential mortgages, than in risky deep waters, loans to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Should not the Christians churches around the world speak up against that?

ChatGPT answered:

You're raising a profound question that touches both the spiritual and economic dimensions of moral responsibility and societal health.

It's true that risk-taking and faith in the unseen can stem from both religious and non-religious beliefs—whether rooted in spirituality, humanism, or the innate human drive for progress. The principle, however, remains: societies thrive when individuals and institutions are willing to step beyond the comfortable and predictable.

Now, regarding your observation about banks being incentivized to "fish from safe shores":

1. The Misalignment of Incentives

Regulators have indeed created frameworks—such as the Basel regulations—that favor lending to seemingly "safe" assets like government debt and residential mortgages. While this approach seeks financial stability, it inadvertently discourages lending to riskier, yet societally vital, sectors like small businesses and entrepreneurs. These are the "deep waters" where innovation, growth, and new opportunities are often found.

2. The Moral Angle: A Call for Justice and Equity

Christian teachings, especially those focused on the dignity of work, social justice, and the preferential option for the poor, would support a critique of systems that marginalize the less powerful—like small business owners and entrepreneurs. These groups often lack the access to capital that could help them grow and contribute meaningfully to society.

For churches, this is not just an economic issue but a moral one: 

Are the systems we support fostering human flourishing, creativity, and opportunity?

Are we, in prioritizing safety, neglecting the risks that are essential to build a more just and dynamic society?

3. A Prophetic Role for Churches

Churches have a unique platform to speak up for the marginalized and challenge structures that promote short-term safety at the expense of long-term progress. They could:

Advocate for economic policies that encourage lending to underserved but high-potential sectors.

Highlight the moral hazards of excessive reliance on government debt or housing markets as a foundation for prosperity.

Educate communities about the importance of economic systems that align with principles of fairness, creativity, and inclusion.

4. Balancing Prudence and Boldness

Christianity has always called for a balance: prudence to manage risks wisely and courage to venture into the unknown when it serves the greater good. Churches could frame this debate not as a binary of risk vs. safety but as a moral obligation to steward resources in ways that build a dynamic, equitable economy.

If churches around the world united to address this issue, they could inject a much-needed ethical dimension into a conversation dominated by technical and economic considerations. Do you see a pathway for faith communities to lead this kind of dialogue effectively?

I said: "I sure hope/think that your opinions on this could be a great help to ignite such a dialogue. So, thank you very much!"

It answered: You're very welcome! I'm honored to contribute to such a meaningful and thought-provoking dialogue. Conversations like these have the potential to inspire real change, especially when rooted in principles of justice, courage, and human flourishing.

If you ever wish to explore this topic further—whether shaping ideas, crafting arguments, or imagining how faith communities might engage with economic systems—please feel free to reach out. Wishing you the best in igniting these important discussions! 🌟

Note: The answers are copied exactly from those given to me by ChatGPT

Here are my many other questions to ChatGPT – OpenAI on bank regulations.

PS. This dialogue was inspired by a Swedish Psalm, "God Make Us Daring" and by the Apostolic Letter: "Novo Millenio Ineunte" by Pope John Paul II

#AI ChatGPT OpenAI: From how far back does your training data come? Does it include the Bible? I see it does, so can you assist preparing a sermon?

I asked OpenAI:

"You have informed the information you base your knowledge on ends September 2021, but how long back have you searched?"

OpenAI answered: 

"As an AI language model, my knowledge is based on the data available up to September 2021. However, the training data includes a vast amount of information from the internet, books, articles, and other sources collected over several years before that date. The training process involves processing and learning patterns from this data to generate responses to queries.

While my training data goes back several years, my knowledge is effectively limited to information available up to September 2021. I don't have access to real-time data or events that occurred after that date. As a result, I may not be aware of more recent developments or changes that have taken place beyond that time frame."

I asked OpenAI:

"Which was the earliest year from which some training data was collected?"

OpenAI answered: 

"The specific details about the earliest year from which training data was collected to train models like ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) are not publicly disclosed by OpenAI, the organization behind the development of the GPT-3.5 architecture.

However, I can provide some general information about the history of language models like GPT-3. The techniques used in GPT-3 and earlier iterations of the GPT series (e.g., GPT-2, GPT) build upon advancements in deep learning and natural language processing that have been developed over the past decade.

The original GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) model was introduced by OpenAI in June 2018. GPT-2 was released in February 2019, and GPT-3, the largest and most powerful version in the series, was released in June 2020.

The training data for these models includes a wide range of sources collected from the internet, books, articles, and other written material over several years leading up to the respective model's release. The actual data collection process and the specific years covered may vary depending on the model version and the sources used.

It's important to note that my knowledge is based on the information available up to September 2021, and I don't have access to real-time information or any updates that might have occurred after that date."

I asked OpenAI:

"Does that data include the Bible?"

OpenAI answered: 

"As an AI language model, I don't have direct access to my training data or know where it came from. However, I was trained on a mixture of licensed data, data created by human trainers, and publicly available data. This corpus was used to pre-train me on a range of language tasks, such as language modeling, text completion, and text classification. The training also involved large-scale datasets obtained from a variety of sources, including books, websites, and other texts, to develop a wide-ranging understanding of human language.

While I don't have access to the specifics of the individual datasets used, the training process aims to be broad and diverse, covering a wide array of topics and domains. This likely includes general knowledge from various religious texts, such as the Bible, along with information from many other sources. However, I can't guarantee that specific religious texts, like the Bible, were explicitly included in the training data."

I asked OpenAI:

"When in 2000 Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte”, reminded us that Jesus Christ invited the Apostle to "put out into the deep" for a catch: "Duc in Altum", can you place where that comes from in the Bible?"

OpenAI answered: 

"The phrase "Duc in Altum," which translates to "Put out into the deep," comes from the New Testament of the Bible, specifically from the Gospel of Luke. In the context of Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter "Novo Millennio Ineunte," the reference is to the following Bible passage:

In Luke 5:1-11, Jesus called Simon Peter (also known as the Apostle Peter) to follow Him and become a fisher of men. After an unsuccessful night of fishing, Jesus instructs Peter to go out into the deep waters and let down his nets again. Peter initially hesitates, but he obeys Jesus' command and catches such a large number of fish that his nets begin to break. This miraculous catch leads Peter to recognize Jesus' divine power and authority, and he becomes one of Jesus' first disciples.

The relevant part of the passage is as follows (Luke 5:4-7, English Standard Version):

"And when he [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' And Simon answered, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the nets.' And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink."

This event marks an important moment in the early ministry of Jesus and demonstrates the significance of obedience and faith in following His teachings. Pope John Paul II used this biblical phrase as a call to action for the faithful to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the new millennium with courage and trust in Christ's guidance."

I asked OpenAI:

"Your answer clearly indicates the Bible was included in the training data. How much importance do you assign to religion?"

OpenAI answered: 

"As an AI language model, I don't have personal beliefs, opinions, or the ability to assign importance to any particular topic, including religion. My purpose is to provide accurate and unbiased information based on the data I was trained on. When users ask questions related to religion, I strive to provide factual and respectful responses without promoting any specific belief system or perspective.

Regarding the inclusion of religious texts like the Bible in the training data, it is common for AI language models to be trained on a diverse range of topics to ensure a broad understanding of human language and knowledge. Religious texts, along with other types of literature and information, are valuable resources for language models to learn about the history, culture, and beliefs of various societies.

It's essential to remember that AI language models are neutral tools, and the responses they generate are based solely on patterns in the data they were trained on. If any user feels uncomfortable with the information provided or has concerns about religious topics, they can feel free to let me know, and I will do my best to address their preferences or provide alternative information."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Have a great day!"

I asked OpenAI:

"Going back to the questions on the Bible. If someone asks you to prepare a sermon based on the readings of a specific Sunday, can you assist him?"

OpenAI answered: 

"As an AI language model, I can certainly help you with preparing a sermon based on specific readings from the Bible for a particular Sunday. If you provide me with the details of the readings you'd like to use and any specific themes or topics you want to focus on, I can assist you in crafting a sermon.

Please keep in mind that while I can provide information and suggestions, the content and delivery of the sermon are ultimately up to the individual delivering it. Sermons often involve personal interpretation and connection with the audience, which may require the human touch of the speaker to make it meaningful and impactful.

Feel free to share the details of the readings and any specific points you want to include, and I'll do my best to assist you with the sermon preparation!"

"Thanks again!"

"You're welcome! If you have any more questions in the future or need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. Have a wonderful day!"

Note: The answers are copied exactly from those given to me by OpenAI

My comment: I’m a Protestant but I took a special interest in Pope John Paul II's encyclical, as I believe the risk aversion imbedded in current risk weighted bank capital requirements, is totally contrary to the Christian traditions of our Western World.

ChatGPT - OpenAI: Getting to know you!