Will We Use AI to Multiply Blessing—or Multiply the Gap Between Us?
I grew up near Rochester, NY, where Kodak wasn’t just a company—it was the heartbeat of the city. I had friends whose dads' entire livelihoods depended on those massive plants. Then digital technology swept in. Tens of thousands of jobs vanished, buildings went dark, and whole neighborhoods slipped into ghost-town silence. Even Kodak’s once-reliable pension promises were eventually restructured, a final reminder of how fragile security becomes when technology outruns people.
Now I live near Schenectady, NY, where General Electric tells a similar story—a world-shaping company whose departure left empty factories and a city scrambling to adapt.
It leaves me asking: as Artificial Intelligence accelerates change, can we find a way for innovation to lift people rather than leave them behind?
AI promises breathtaking productivity. But here’s the deeper question every steward must ask: Who will benefit most—and who might be left behind?
I wrote recently that AI will inevitably widen wealth inequality unless we act intentionally. In a society that shares gains fairly, a surge in productivity should lift everyone. But when AI displaces large numbers of workers, those displaced will be worse off, while the companies that provide the AI—and their investors—stand to benefit immensely. The result is a growing gap between the rich and the poor. And that gap matters. It tells you, more than almost anything else, how healthy and humane a society truly is. A widening divide rarely produces kindness or stability; it creates tension, fear, and fracture. Simply put, allowing AI to deepen inequality is not good for our economy, our communities, or our future.
That tension is now front-page news. Even the International Monetary Fund has warned that generative AI could cause “massive labour disruptions” and accelerate inequality. But for stewards—people who believe capital is entrusted, not owned—this isn’t just an economic trend; it’s a spiritual crossroads.
Here’s the thing….Technology Isn’t the Threat—Indifference Is
Throughout Scripture, God elevates a single, unflinching standard: How do you treat the vulnerable when power shifts? In Leviticus, farmland owners were commanded to leave the edges of their fields for the poor to harvest. In the Book of Ruth, Boaz used his wealth and position to create access, not barriers. In the Gospels, Jesus consistently stood with those pushed to the margins by the economic systems of His day.
AI will dramatically increase efficiency and profitability—especially for those who own it. But the question before us is deeply biblical:
Will increased productivity lead to increased flourishing for all—or to a wider, more painful gap?
So, what is a Steward’s responsibility in an AI Age?
Investors and business leaders have an unusual opportunity right now. We can ride the wave of AI purely for profit—or we can shape a more redemptive outcome:
Investing in AI companies that create jobs rather than eliminate them.
Supporting ventures that use technology to lift low-income communities.
Funding reskilling, retraining, and economic transition pathways.
Designing new business models that share productivity gains with workers.
The future of AI will not be determined by algorithms—it will be determined by the character of the people who deploy them.
Let me leave you with a question…
What if the greatest threat of AI is not what it will do to society, but what we fail to do with the power it gives us?
