The Formational Battle We Can’t Afford to Lose

In the Flourishing AI Benchmarks that we use as a touchstone for the work Gloo is doing in AI, character and virtue are a core domain in assessing whether people are flourishing. That’s because how people feel about themselves is deeply affected by whether they believe they are acting to do good, even when it’s not easy. Do we believe our actions are embodying virtues like courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom?  

But character isn’t formed in a vacuum. We aren’t born knowing exactly what to do in any circumstance. Every day, we are being formed by the people closest to us, by our faith leaders and educators, by the media we consume, and by the many small examples of behavior and interactions we observe as we live our lives. Sometimes we’re aware that we’re learning lessons that will shape us–but often we’re not.

In our current culture, distraction has become the norm. We’re bombarded by information, online services and devices that are all constantly competing for our attention. Our screens feed us a steady diet of novelty, outrage, and instant gratification. This is not neutral. The more we depend on technology, the more it shapes our character and the more influence it has on how we respond under pressure, how we treat one another, and how we make decisions.

Character isn’t just essential to individual happiness; it’s the backbone of a flourishing society. Moreover, as Brendan Case and Tyler Vanderweele note, happiness and purpose can only contribute to flourishing when they are tied to virtue. Without it, competence can become hubris, and influence can become self-indulgent. Yet all too often, we’re focused less on disciplining character and more on chasing relevance. And the fruit of that shift is not good.

Now, as AI enters the mainstream, it’s essential that we ask how this tool can be used for good. If we don’t get involved in shaping it, in ensuring that it reinforces the attributes of character that we value – like wisdom, integrity and humility – then it will most definitely shape us. And how it does that could be driven by the same incentives and financial imperatives that have made social media so problematic. That would only contribute to the erosion of moral depth. 

It’s up to us to prevent that from happening. We must lead in the area of character development—in our churches, in our classrooms, and in our technologies. We must demand that the formation of character and virtue be integral to the design of these powerful tools and not an afterthought.