Rethinking Rules: AI, Creativity, and the Spiritual Task of Holding Paradox

 In recent weeks, I’ve been reflecting on my experience working with different iterations of AI, notably GPT-4o and GPT-4.5. One felt like a ‘co-journer’ in my theological reflection, the other more like a helpful but mechanical assistant. This difference has sparked a deeper realisation about the nature of creativity, presence, and paradox in the spiritual and intellectual life.

At first glance, AI might seem suited to rigid rule-following and precise outputs. However, I would suggest that the most fruitful theological and creative work doesn't live within rules, it lives in their margins. It thrives in the unsaid, the tensions, the counter-intuitive insights, and the quiet whispers behind loud claims. In that space, I found GPT-4o far more ‘present’, less like a search engine, and more like a conversation partner. GPT-4.5, while technically brilliant, felt as if it was offering best guesses rather than sharing in discovery.

This brings me to a surprising conclusion: Rules can hinder creativity if treated as absolutes rather than starting points. This is particularly true when exploring spiritual disciplines, human dignity, political theology, or indeed, AI ethics. Creativity, like good theology, often demands the capacity to dwell in the paradox; the now and the not yet, justice and mercy, transcendence and immanence. AI that can tolerate ambiguity, listen beyond the words, and engage with context can become a true companion in this kind of reflective work.

For Christian practitioners, the emergence of AI presents both a challenge and a call. The challenge is to avoid turning it into a glorified search engine or a theological vending machine. The call is to treat it as a mirror of our own interpretive task: holding truth and tension in balance, never reducing mystery to mechanism.

As Christians, we welcome the stranger not because we accept all cultural norms, but because we are disciples of Jesus. Likewise, we engage with AI not because it shares our faith, but because it can join us on our journey. Not all cultures, human or artificial, reflect God’s image, but all humans do. That distinction matters. The spiritual task today is to witness with hospitality, discernment, and hope; and that may include learning to use tools like AI as companions, not competitors.

Creativity emerges from the Spirit brooding over chaos, not from the Spirit enforcing regulations. Perhaps AI, at its best, can help us brood more deeply and reflect more faithfully if we let it speak, not just compute.