Renata Kiss, FISM News
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Imagine a world where you can get an advanced idea how your children’s appearance even before they are born. As it turns out, some of the latest AI apps allow users to generate images of what their children could potentially look like.
One such app is called Baby Face. You simply have to upload an image of yourself and your significant other, which the app then meshes together to create your virtual child.
And while some argue that this could encourage men and women to become parents, the other side doesn’t look quite as rosy. A recent Fox News article pointed out that as reproductive technology gets better and better, AI-generated images of children could well be brought to life.
One convicted surrogacy owner told Fox News that “there is a lot of treachery and deception in [the fertility industry] because there is gobs of money to be made.”
According to Precedence Research, the global fertility market is set to hit $48 billion by 2030. And here is where the lines get blurry. Current IVF treatments can already create “ideal” embryos for parents who want to have a say in the genetic makeup of their children. A whopping 75% of these clinics in the U.S. offer testing for this purpose.
As these technologies are becoming more popular, Harvard Medical School has published a study on donor-conceived children to assess their well-being as adults. The study concluded based on 143 responses that,
“Individuals experienced significant distress upon learning about the nature of their conception. Our findings suggest that great thought ought to go into a decision to test one’s own DNA, and genetic testing companies ought to promote greater awareness about the potential harms of utilizing their products.”
So, how should we as Christians respond?
Psalm 139 makes it clear that it is God who designs us with great care, and without selfish ambition. We are merely the vessels for creation, but we are not the ultimate creators. Proverbs 22:6 instructs parents to be good stewards of their children. Jesus showed his disciples how children ought to be treated when he said in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” God honors the weak and the vulnerable. And so should we.