The technological future, once heralded as liberating, is revealing itself as a system of control. Recent developments—OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas, an AI browser tracking users online, and Amazon’s plan to automate hundreds of thousands of jobs—are not isolated events. They signal a new phase: AI now embeds opaque, pervasive systems of oversight into every aspect of society.
AI shapes daily life. From browsing and communicating to decisions on hiring and firing, it influences both human progress and dependence.
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
The Digital Web Tightens
OpenAI describes Atlas as a “super-assistant” that learns from a user’s world, recalls past conversations, and performs tasks autonomously. It can remember where users shop, what they read, and what they study, deepening the feedback loop between human behavior and machine learning.
At the same time, Amazon’s growing robotic workforce hints at a world where productivity no longer requires people. While the company denies plans for mass layoffs, internal documents cited by The New York Times suggest automation will replace hundreds of thousands of jobs within the next decade. When combined, these shifts represent more than technological evolution—they are economic and social re-engineering on a global scale.
The Rise of Dependence
The timing of these changes is no accident. As automation consumes more jobs, governments and economists have begun to float the idea of Universal Basic Income (UBI)—a system that promises to replace lost wages with guaranteed government payments. On the surface, it appears compassionate, even equitable. But with digital currencies and AI-driven oversight, such systems could one day monitor, limit, and control how that money is spent.
Order Jonathan Cahn’s Newest Book, “The Avatar” on Amazon.com!
The infrastructure for such control already exists. AI-integrated browsers, such as Atlas, track user behavior across the internet. Robots in companies like Amazon replace workers while collecting data on warehouse activity. Financial institutions are exploring programmable digital currencies that could restrict certain purchases.
Together, these systems make clear that technological progress is not a force for neutrality. Instead, it actively constructs new structures of oversight and compliance that undermine personal autonomy, embedding systemic control more deeply into everyday life.
A Dividing World
The gulf between the ultra-rich technocratic elite and ordinary citizens widens as those who own AI systems accumulate unprecedented control and capital. Meanwhile, workers are being managed and measured by these systems, under the guise of efficiency—masking a deeper reality: as AI enforces control, society is being conditioned to comply.
This divide extends beyond finances—it signals a transformation of power. The growth of centralized digital authority, as forewarned by many, risks establishing a system that enforces domination and dependence, where compliance becomes the price of access and autonomy.
Discernment, Not Fear
Yet for those who believe that history is guided by more than human ambition, these technological developments hold deeper spiritual significance. The Bible reminds us that God is sovereign even in an age of rapid change, and these shifts may reflect a wider spiritual narrative foretold in Scripture. They can be seen as signs that Jesus’ return will restore what humanity and technology have disrupted, and that justice will ultimately prevail over the injustices perpetuated by human and technological systems.
In the meantime, we are called not only to avoid fear but also to practice discernment—seeking to understand the spiritual implications of increasing technological control. As technology becomes increasingly invasive and society pursues what it believes is progress, we are challenged not only to adapt but also to remain spiritually alert and deliberate in our choices.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
For while artificial intelligence may claim to know everything about humanity, only God truly understands the heart—and it is the state of the heart, shaped by spiritual discernment, that determines whom we ultimately serve. Let this conviction not only bring comfort but also inspire purposeful living, as we trust God’s wisdom above human innovation and hold fast to hope as the future unfolds.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
