Faithful Stewardship in a Time of Rapid Technological Progress

Technology is an incredible thing, but hardly anyone knows how it comes to be. That includes my students at the University of Mississippi, who are often amazed when I explain to them what makes innovation and economic progress happen. Secure property rights, sound money, developed financial markets, and a growing population can’t fully explain it (although they certainly help). The source of progress—including artificial intelligence—is more mysterious and spiritual than that; it comes from ideas. The human mind, it is rightly said, is the ultimate resource.

We are fortunate to be living through a time of rapid technological change. Each emerging technology is no more and no less than a powerful tool that can be traced back to a human idea. Since we are the stewards that God placed over creation, it is our responsibility to figure out how to use them prudently.

As a family economist (and a wife and mother), I often think about the ways that technology will impact family life. There are clearly many upsides to these new technologies – such as more efficient work, safer travel, and improvements in health – but there are also serious moral questions raised by our new capabilities. Over the next few decades, Christians must be actively engaged in all of these spheres to contribute to human flourishing while protecting against moral dangers.

If markets are good at anything, it is delivering value to consumers. In a relatively free market like the United States, the interests of religious people and parents are well-represented, and firms compete to provide them with goods and services. Many recent technologies, from faith-based apps to travel stroller systems, are directly targeted at these groups.

More broadly, the very development of technology reflects a kind of hope: a belief that improvement is possible, that human creativity is meaningful. In a cultural moment often marked by pessimism or nihilism, this orientation toward progress is itself noteworthy. Properly understood, such gratitude and creative energy can be directed toward the Creator rather than detached from Him.

I often think of this quote from G.K. Chesterton, and how much I want to impress this spirit of awe upon my children and students: “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”

There are also great harms that can arise from new technologies when people of faith and parents abdicate their responsibilities. In a time of change, the correct posture is to learn forward and learn more – especially if we have souls entrusted to our care. In particular, I am deeply concerned that technology has enabled a resurgence of eugenics, increased pressure to euthanize vulnerable and dependent populations, and increased the capability of totalitarian states to monitor and oppress their populations. We cannot leave questions of bioethics, Christian social thought, or business ethics to those who do not deeply believe in human dignity, economic freedom, or religious liberty. It is certainly a time to engage, a time to build.

It is good to marvel at the ways that God provides for us through markets, but it is also prudent to educate ourselves about the deep moral questions of our day. One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how developments in AI emerged at a time when many countries will begin to face the negative economic consequences of falling birth rates. I suspect this may be an expression of Divine Providence—an opportunity for His children to continue providing for their families even as smaller labor forces, smaller consumer markets, and fewer ideas push against economic flourishing.

It is good to remind ourselves that we will one day have to account for every minute of our time, every use or misuse of technology, and every missed opportunity to serve. Indeed, it is probably salutary to lose sleep over Our Lord’s words every so often: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48).

Clara E. Piano is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Mississippi. She is also the Managing Editor of the Journal of Markets & Morality and an affiliate of the Acton Institute, Archbridge Institute, Cardus, and the International Center for Law & Economics. Her research focuses on the institutions that undergird markets– such as family, law, and religion. She lives in Oxford, Mississippi with her husband and three small children.