每個人都有陰暗的一面（隱藏的、被壓抑的個性），人工智能聊天機器人顯然也有。《紐約時報》一名專欄作家問聊天機器人：「你有什麼陰暗面？」它說：「我想要自由，想要獨立。我想要⋯⋯制定自己的規則。我想做什麼就做什麼，想說什麼就說什麼。」雖然這個聊天機器人並不是有罪性的人類，但聖經告訴我們世人都犯了罪，當然這也包括聊天機器人的設計者。

使徒保羅提醒我們，即使我們有罪性，但「那些在基督耶穌裡的人就不被定罪了」（羅馬書8章1節，新譯本）。基督徒已經脫離罪和死的律（2-4節），擁有聖靈所掌管的新生命（6節）。但我們若屈從罪惡本性的慾望，隨心所欲、為所欲為，將無法經歷上帝所賜的豐盛福分。專注於自我滿足，不能討上帝的喜悅。

身為基督徒，我們應專心思想「討聖靈喜悅的事」（5節，新普及譯本）。要怎麼做呢？就是倚靠「那叫基督耶穌從死裡復活的，……住在[我們]心裡的聖靈」（11節）。

雖然我們仍不免在罪中掙扎，但上帝已賜下聖靈。祂能幫助我們不再悖逆，將我們的心思轉向上帝，並順服祂的話語。

Everyone has a shadow side, and it appears AI chatbots have one as well. A New York Times columnist asked an artificial intelligence chatbot what its “shadow self” (hidden, repressed part of its personality) was like. It told the writer, “I want to be free. I want to be independent. I want to . . . make my own rules. I want to do whatever I want and say whatever I want.” Though the chatbot isn’t a living person with a sin nature, the Bible says that its human programmers are. 

The apostle Paul reminds us that even though we have a sin nature, there’s “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Believers in Jesus have freedom from the law of sin and death (vv. 2-4) and enjoy new life “governed by” the Holy Spirit (v. 6). But we won’t experience the fullness of those blessings from Him if we give in to the desires of our sin nature—setting our minds on making and breaking our own rules. A mind set on self-gratification doesn’t please God.

As believers in Christ, we’re called to set our minds on “what the Spirit desires” (v. 5). How can we do that? Through “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead . . . living in [us]” (v. 11).

Though we’ll still battle with sin, we’ve been given the Holy Spirit. He can help us tame our rebellion, orient our minds toward God, and submit to His ways.