Veronica Sommer
Founder, Sacred Stewardship & VentureLoom | Author, Sacred Stewardship: Restoring Moral Clarity in the Digital Age
Dedicated to Protecting Children, Strengthening Families & Bringing God Back to the Center of Family, Culture & Country

June 4th 2025

When OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently remarked that many young people no longer make important life decisions without first asking ChatGPT, most people viewed it as another milestone in the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. I heard something entirely different.

According to Altman, many young users now rely on ChatGPT because it remembers previous conversations, understands the people in their lives, and provides personalized guidance. To the technology industry, that may sound like remarkable progress. To parents, pastors, educators, and anyone concerned with the next generation, it should sound like a wake-up call.

The issue isn't that artificial intelligence is becoming smarter.

The issue is that our children are increasingly looking to it for answers that should come from the people who know and love them most.

This is the symptom of a much deeper problem.

For years, I have said that we cannot educate, advocate, or legisate our way out of a crisis of formation. We are witnessing the consequences of a culture that has steadily outsourced its responsibilities. Families are spending less time together. Genuine community has been replaced by digital connection. Many children now seek advice from influencers before parents and from algorithms before mentors. Artificial intelligence is simply the latest technology filling a void that never should have existed in the first place.

The greatest threat of AI isn't intelligence.

It's identity.

Every child is trying to answer the same timeless questions: Who am I? Why do I matter? Where do I belong? What is my purpose? Those questions have never been technological. They are deeply spiritual. When children begin looking to artificial intelligence to answer them, we should not congratulate ourselves on innovation. We should ask why they are searching there in the first place.

At Sacred Stewardship, we believe the deeper crisis beneath every cultural crisis is separation from God, resulting in a crisis of identity. That is why technology has become so influential. When people no longer know who they are or Whose they are, they naturally look elsewhere for meaning, affirmation, direction, and belonging. AI did not create that longing, but it is increasingly positioning itself to satisfy it.

The tragedy is that no machine ever can.

Artificial intelligence can organize information, generate ideas, and even simulate conversation, but it cannot love sacrificially. It cannot exercise godly wisdom. It cannot model character. It cannot disciple a child. Most importantly, it cannot reveal the truth about who we are because our identity is not something generated by algorithms. It is something bestowed by our Creator.

Scripture tells us that every human being is intentionally created in the image of God and designed with purpose. Our identity is not earned through achievement, determined by popularity, or discovered through technology. It is received from the One who knit us together and calls us His own. When we forget that truth, we become vulnerable to every cultural voice competing to define us.

That is why this conversation must extend far beyond artificial intelligence.

Parents have a sacred responsibility to disciple their children. Churches have a sacred responsibility to proclaim truth. Schools have a responsibility to cultivate wisdom and critical thinking. Businesses have a responsibility to build technologies that serve humanity rather than replace it. And each of us has a responsibility to steward the influence God has entrusted to us.

Technology is a remarkable tool.

It should never become our children's teacher of truth, source of identity, or substitute for relationships.

The good news is that this story has not yet been written. Families can reclaim the dinner table. Parents can reclaim intentional conversations. Churches can reclaim discipleship. Communities can rebuild authentic relationships. We can embrace innovation while refusing to surrender the sacred responsibilities God has entrusted to us.

Our children do not need artificial intelligence to tell them who they are.

They need parents who are present.

They need churches that speak truth.

They need communities that care.

Above all, they need to know they were created by God, for God, and in the image of God. That is an identity no technology will ever be able to manufacture or replace.

At Sacred Stewardship, we believe the deeper crisis beneath every cultural crisis is separation from God, resulting in a crisis of identity. Our mission is to restore moral clarity in the digital age by protecting children, strengthening families, and bringing God back to the center of family, culture, and country.

Scripture

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will."
— Romans 12:2

Sacred Stewardship Prayer

Before you move on with your day, I encourage you to pause for just a moment. Read this prayer aloud to yourself, and then come back to it later with your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, your small group, or whoever God has placed in your life. Jesus reminds us, "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20).

Our culture doesn't just need more information - it needs hearts that are transformed by God. My prayer is that these words draw you and those you love closer to Him, strengthen your faith, and inspire meaningful conversations rooted in truth.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for creating each one of us in Your image and for giving every person immeasurable worth and purpose. In a world filled with voices competing for our attention, help us to remember that our identity is found in You alone - not in technology, popularity, achievement, or the opinions of others.

Give parents wisdom to lead their children with love and truth. Strengthen families to spend time together, to have meaningful conversations, and to seek You first in every decision. Raise up churches, educators, business leaders, and policymakers who will courageously protect the next generation and point them toward Your design for human flourishing.

Help us to steward technology wisely, using it as a tool rather than allowing it to become our master. Give us discernment to embrace innovation without surrendering our responsibility to form hearts, renew minds, and cultivate relationships grounded in truth. May we never allow convenience to replace connection or artificial intelligence to replace the wisdom that comes from You.

Lord, remind us daily that our worth is not determined by algorithms, achievements, or the approval of the world. Our identity is found in Jesus Christ alone. Give us the courage to live differently, to disciple the next generation faithfully, and to stand for truth with grace and conviction in a culture searching for answers.

May our children, and all those entrusted to our care, grow to know not only who they are, but Whose they are. Let our homes, our churches, and our communities become places where Your truth is taught, Your love is experienced, and Your presence is welcomed.

May we faithfully steward all that You have entrusted to us, for Your glory, for the good of our families and communities, and for generations to come.

In Jesus' name, Amen.