AI, Wisdom, and the Work of Formation

Written by Dr. Seann Dikkers, Executive Director of Portals

Our family’s journey into home education began with a simple conviction: education is about formation, not just information.

We wanted our children to grow up under the same “report card” given to Jesus: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). Home education gave us the freedom to pursue that kind of growth intentionally. Over time, that conviction grew into the work I now do with families through Portals. We encourage parent-led learning centered on great books, meaningful work, mentorship, and discipleship. 

Today, that vision is being tested and refined in light of a rapidly changing technological landscape. Most technologies have appeared as a device that must be purchased, taking a generation or so to become ubiquitous. AI simply started appearing everywhere at once! Artificial intelligence has arrived strikingly quickly and pervasively, raising important questions for families seeking to raise thoughtful, faithful, and discerning children. The question is no longer whether our children will encounter AI, but how they will understand and use it.

Most of what people call AI today refers to tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude; systems known as Large Language Models. These tools are trained on massive amounts of text and function by identifying patterns in language. They do not “know” things in the way a person does; rather, they predict what words are likely to come next. This allows them to write, summarize, generate ideas, and assist with research at remarkable speed. In many ways, they resemble a highly capable research assistant or writing partner.

Limitations

However, this capability comes with an important limitation. AI does not discern truth; it reproduces patterns. The idea that it ‘thinks’ is a deception, a very convincing one. As a result, it can present information with great confidence, even when that information is incorrect. Researchers refer to these errors as “hallucinations” (Ji et al., 2023). Hallucinations are outputs that appear credible but are entirely fabricated combinations of trends. This is not limited to text. AI can now generate convincing images, voices, and video, blurring the line between what is real and what is constructed (Chesney & Citron, 2019).

From a Christian perspective, this raises a deeper issue. The central concern is not simply technological, but philosophical and spiritual. AI processes knowledge, but wisdom is something altogether different. Scripture reminds us that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19). Because AI is trained on the accumulated content of the internet, the world, it reflects the full range of human thought: truth and error, clarity and confusion, wisdom and folly. It is, by design, an aggregation of the world’s thinking. Still, the reason AI has splashed so quickly is that it is incredibly useful for many many workplace tasks. 

This does not make AI unusable, but it does mean it must never become an authority in the life of a believer. The more important question for parents is not what AI can do, but what will shape their child’s understanding of truth. Authority must remain grounded in God’s Word, not in the outputs of a machine or even a very convincing machine. 

In this sense, the rise of AI does not fundamentally change how children grow and mature. Formation still occurs through the same enduring processes. Children develop wisdom through effort, experience, and relationships. They learn by reading deeply, by building and creating, by engaging in conversation, and by wrestling with ideas over time. These are not outdated methods; they are the very means by which human beings have always come to understand the world.

Learning with AI

This conviction also shaped my book Play More, where I argue that learning is most powerful when it includes exploration, conversation, and hands-on creation. Simple fact retention is not necessarily the kind of learning that will prepare our children for life. Historically, apprenticeship, storytelling, and play were central to learning. In many ways, home education provides an opportunity to remember and recover these deeply human forms of formation. AI may accelerate access to information, but it can only imitate, it cannot create. AI cannot replace the lived experiences that shape judgment, character, and wisdom.

For this reason, a thoughtful approach to AI is neither reactionary nor naïve. Parents do not need to rush to adopt every new tool, but neither should they ignore the reality that their children will encounter these technologies. A gradual and intentional introduction is often the wisest path. Younger children benefit most from time spent reading, playing, building, and interacting with others. As students mature, particularly in middle and high school, AI can be introduced as a tool to assist learning or creation. 

Even then, the principle remains important: students should learn to do things the hard way before relying on tools that simplify the process. There is a difference between using a hammer and a nail gun, and the order matters.

Equally important is the cultivation of discernment. Children must learn to test what they encounter, to verify sources, and to compare ideas against Scripture. The Bereans were commended not for passive acceptance, but for active examination: they “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). That same posture is essential in an age where information is abundant and not always reliable.

At the same time, learning must remain active. Students should continue to write, design, build, present, and reflect. AI can assist these processes, but it should not replace them. Growth comes through effort, and the goal of education is not efficiency, but formation.

Technology and Fear

It is also worth remembering that concern about new technology is not new. Throughout history, each major shift has brought both opportunity and anxiety. Writing was once feared as a threat to memory. Calculators raised concerns about mathematical understanding. Computers and the internet prompted worries about distraction and dependency. In each case, some concerns proved valid, while others were overstated. None ‘destroyed’ learning, neither did it remain the same–technology actually does change our access to information. The consistent pattern is that technology tends to amplify what is already present. Used poorly, it encourages passivity; used wisely, it expands human capability.

AI should be understood in the same way. It is a powerful tool that can amplify both wisdom and foolishness. The responsibility of parents is not to eliminate the tool, but to ensure that their children are rooted deeply enough in truth and character to use it well.

Scripture offers the right posture for this moment: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). While technology continues to evolve, the calling of parents remains unchanged. We are still called to teach truth, to disciple our children, to cultivate wisdom, and to walk with them faithfully in the rhythms of daily life.

AI and Scripture

In this sense, the Bible does not predict AI, but it does describe a world in which technologies like AI would naturally fit. It anticipates an age of expanding knowledge, increasing deception, and heightened need for discernment. What so we see in scripture that makes AI so concerning? Especially around knowledge, deception, control, and discernment what is to be considered?

One of the most frequently cited passages is Daniel 12:4: “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”. Whatever the full scope of that prophecy, it clearly anticipates a time marked by a dramatic expansion of knowledge. Today, we are living in an age where information is not only abundant but instantly accessible. AI accelerates this even further, enabling the rapid generation, synthesis, and distribution of knowledge at a scale never before possible. While the text does not specify the means by which knowledge increases, it is difficult to ignore how closely this description aligns with the technological landscape of our time.

Alongside this increase in knowledge, Scripture consistently warns that deception will also intensify. Jesus cautioned, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4), and later added that false voices would arise with such persuasive power that, if possible, even the elect would be misled (Matthew 24:24). Deception wouldn’t really be deception if it wasn’t convincingly authoritative–even it is just a hallucination. 

Paul echoes this concern, describing a coming period marked by “lying wonders” and “unrighteous deception” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–10). AI introduces new dimensions to this reality. It enables the creation of content—text, images, audio, and video—that can appear entirely authentic while being completely fabricated. The scale and believability of deception are expanding, not because truth has changed, but because the tools for distorting it have multiplied.

Paul writes that people will be “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). This is a picture of intellectual saturation without wisdom. It is a condition in which answers are abundant, yet discernment is scarce. In many ways, this captures the paradox of our current age. AI can provide immediate convincing responses to almost any question, but it cannot cultivate the depth of judgment or moral clarity that Scripture defines as wisdom.

In the book of Revelation, we encounter descriptions of global systems that regulate commerce and allegiance. Revelation 13:16–17 speaks of a time when participation in economic life is tied to a form of identification or loyalty, such that no one may buy or sell without it. While Scripture does not connect this directly to any modern technology, it does portray a level of global coordination and control that earlier generations might have struggled to imagine. Today, technologies like AI, combined with digital infrastructure, make such systems far more conceivable.

That same chapter describes an “image” that appears to act or speak (Revelation 13:14–15), a detail that has drawn renewed attention in an age of lifelike digital representations and interactive systems. While it would be speculative to equate this directly with AI, the conceptual parallel is difficult to miss. Scripture presents a world in which representations can influence, persuade, and even compel, raising questions about perception and reality that feel increasingly relevant.

In light of all this, the Bible places a strong emphasis on discernment. Believers are instructed, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits” (1 John 4:1), and are commended, like the Bereans, for examining claims carefully against Scripture (Acts 17:11). Discernment is not optional in such a world; it is essential. Truth must be known, not assumed, and tested, not merely received. 

The response is not fear, but clarity. Tools will continue to evolve, but truth remains constant.

If children are grounded in Scripture, engaged in meaningful work, and growing in discernment, they will be prepared for whatever comes next. In the end, the goal is not simply to keep up with new tools, but to raise young men and women who are capable of using those tools wisely.

Chesney, R., & Citron, D. (2019). Deep fakes: A looming challenge for privacy, democracy, and national security. California Law Review, 107(6), 1753–1819. https://doi.org/10.15779/Z38RV0D15J

Dikkers, S. (2025). Play more: A case for play. WestBow Press.

Ji, Z., Lee, N., Frieske, R., Yu, T., Su, D., Xu, Y., Ishii, E., Bang, Y., Madotto, A., & Fung, P. (2023). Survey of hallucination in natural language generation. ACM Computing Surveys, 55(12), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1145/3571730.

Plato. (1997). Phaedrus. In J. M. Cooper (Ed.), Plato: Complete works (pp. 506–556). Hackett Publishing.