Are people even interested in the ‘truth’ anymore?

Years ago, there was a piece of advice offered up frequently that basically stated this: “Believe nothing you hear, and only half of what you see.”

Friends...I hesitate to say that I fear we have reached a place in time where we should question everything we hear ...and see; and then some. And I will also add here that if there was any one message I have posted here over the 3.5 years, this is the ‘one’ you really need to read, take to heart, and maybe even share. (Fair warning: This will be a bit longer than usual)

Now aside from these next three Bible verses I offer up to tie in with my opening statement, this message will offer less scripture references than I normally include as I lay some groundwork for tomorrow’s message...which I hope you will really want to read after this one today.

The wisest man who ever lived penned these words in the Book of Ecclesiastes: “Do not take to heart everything people say.” (7:21)

Jesus Christ...the Messiah...offered up this piece of advice: “Be careful of what you hear.” (Mark 4:24)

And then, a very short phrase that I had never ‘seen’ before jumped off the pages of my Bible the other morning when I was studying, and it really caught my attention. It’s found in John’s gospel where Jesus was brought before Pilate who had some questions for Him; the first one asking if Jesus was indeed the ‘King of the Jews’. After a few words of exchange between the two, Jesus informs Pilate that the very reason He came into the world was so He could ‘bear witness to the truth...and everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Now, pay attention to this next line found in John 18:38 – “Pilate said to Him (Jesus), ‘what is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.”

We see no evidence there... when after asking the ‘Truth’ Himself...’what is truth’, Pilate doesn’t even wait to hear if Jesus would respond to his question of inquiry. He just turned and walked away. Hence, my question asking if we even are interested in truth anymore. Granted, we've always been told that ‘the truth hurts’? Maybe that is why we tend to shy away from truth on a matter of issues because truth indeed can be painful; especially when we take time seeking truth while looking in a ‘mirror’. (2 Cor. 13:5; James 1:22-25). Yeah...truth can hurt, but it also has a way of bringing great freedom as well! (John 8:32-36; 1 Pet. 4:1-2)

Now please continue with me here as I elaborate on the purpose of this message today (and tomorrow). Are you familiar with the term we are hearing non-stop these days, which has to do with ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI)? I’m not going to argue the ‘benefits’ that most likely can come with this technological ‘advancement’, but I do want to address a serious concern that we should all have surrounding AI. The very word- ‘artificial’... is nothing but a fancier term for the word ‘fake’.

Now...as a photographer, I have always enjoyed the thrill and challenge of capturing a unique photo that required planning, knowledge, skill, and most importantly...’timing’; you know... being at the right place at the right time. And if a photographer ever tells you no ‘luck’ is ever involved in getting a stunning image, they are lying to you. One such shot that I captured years ago was of a stunning rainbow that arced right next to the Eiffel Tower there in Paris, TX. It was one of those ‘bucket list’ shots I had for a long time. Yes, I finally captured one and a large canvas print of it actually hangs in the Civic Center there in Paris.

I also remember a couple of years later, after capturing that image, my editing program had some new updates, and one of them was called ‘sky replacement’. In brief, it made it as simple with a single ‘click of the mouse’ to replace a boring sky in any photo with fancy clouds, a beautiful sunset set...and yes...even adding a stunning rainbow. It was then I realized that a seismic shift had occurred in the ‘art’ of photography. No longer was it necessary to actually ‘capture’ a stunning photo...one can easily ‘create’ it now with a few simple ‘clicks’ of a computer mouse.

And this is what truly concerns me- there are no boundaries or limits to what we are seeing 'come in like a flood' these days with ‘creative technology’. Anyone familiar with those ‘NFL Bad Lip Reading’ reels that were popular for a few years? Footage of players during games was extracted and funny voices were used to ‘voice over’ what we saw being exchanged, and what we heard was actually pretty funny, yet made up dialogue. Clearly...what we were seeing and listening to was nothing but a fabricated parody. Things are no longer funny when it comes to this. Let me give you some examples...that come right off the pages of the daily news these days.

Schools are battling with a growing problem where kids are snapping pictures of classmates with their phones and can now ‘create’ an image where a nude body found online can be superimposed with the face of the unsuspecting classmate and then passed around among friends.

I am seeing more and more ‘reels’ show up in my feed of celebrities supposedly being interviewed, but the words being said while using that person’s voice...are ‘made up’ and not what they actually were saying. Anyone seen those ads where you can submit a photo and have that image actually sing a popular song as the lips move and are perfectly synchronized? Fun and cute stuff, right?

And the technology capable of creating such images and reels is improving daily at exponential speed. I’ve seen in recent weeks these reels show up where animals are doing Olympic style diving off a diving board into a swimming pool, and it just blows my mind as to how ‘real’ AI can make this look. But you know what blows my mind even more? It’s when you read the comments of people having to ask...”Is this real?”, or “How can animals do this?” Seriously? You think a zebra can be trained to do a 2 ½ summersault with perfect form off a 3 meter board? Friends...we are in real trouble.

Two more examples here before I wrap up for today. We are hearing more and more instances of elderly grandparents being swindled in the cruelest of ways when they receive a phone call from a very distressed ‘grandchild’ who frantically explains to them they are in serious trouble and need financial help, only to discover after the fact that the call they received was an AI-generated clip using that person’s voice to deceive the loving grandparent who was absolutely certain what they are heard...was ‘genuine’.

Then the other night, while scrolling through my FB feed, I came across another story that drew me in, and as I began to read it, my ‘truth radar’ began flashing and I knew this was not legit. I’ve been seeing more and more of these pop up where they are actually very heart-warming, touching stories that will tug on your tear duct, only to find out the stories are pure fabrication and ‘AI generated’. So as I usually do, I went straight to the comments only to see my suspicions were validated. But on this one particular story that involved Prince William and his beloved wife, Catherine...the person who offered up the news that this incident never occurred...was attacked by so many other people. People were actually angry for this ‘wet blanket’ of a person who had the audacity to ‘steal the moment’ they were experiencing as they read the story. In other words, people WANTED this to be true as they enjoyed the special moment of 'good feels'...yet was nothing but a pure fabrication, or ‘lie’. Interesting side note- I've always heard that what can make a lie so 'deceptive'...is there can often be a 'thread of truth' woven through it.

So what has happened to us as a society? Do we even care anymore that the things we take in, be it food, ideals, news, or information has any substance of truth to it? Or do we just want to be made to ‘feel good’ and enjoy the moment?

And dare I even touch on what is coming through the multiple sources of ‘news’ these days, via TV, podcast, YouTube, Social Media, etc? What do you believe these days, Who do you believe, and Why?

I came across this quote a year or two ago and it keeps resonating with me, shared by a German historian and philosopher- “This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want.” —Hannah Arendt, (1906–1975) Tomorrow...I hope you join me as to why ...Truth matters.