I have been playing with Chat.openai.com to see how smart it is.
This morning I asked the following questions and the AI responded to them.

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Q#1:
Do you know anything about Joseph Smith's involvement with secret marriages?

AI's Answer:
Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was known to have been involved in a number of plural marriages, which were controversial at the time and remain a topic of historical debate. Some of these marriages were performed in secret, without the knowledge or consent of the women's husbands.

The practice of plural marriage was introduced by Smith in the 1830s and was officially taught as doctrine by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for several decades. However, the LDS Church officially renounced the practice of plural marriage in 1890, and it is now considered a historical aspect of the religion rather than a current doctrine.

The details of Smith's involvement in secret marriages and the history of plural marriage in the LDS Church are complex and multifaceted, and there is a range of interpretations and perspectives on the topic. For more information, you may wish to consult historical sources and works on the history of the LDS Church and the life of Joseph Smith.

Q#2:
Why are the details of his involvement in secret marriages complex?

AI's Answer:
The details of Joseph Smith's involvement in secret marriages are complex for several reasons:

Lack of documentation: Many of Smith's marriages were performed in secret and were not well documented, making it difficult to determine the exact number of marriages he entered into and the circumstances surrounding them.

Contradictory accounts: There are conflicting accounts and interpretations of the events surrounding Smith's secret marriages, and some of the historical records that do exist are subjective and may not be entirely reliable.

Historical context: Smith's secret marriages took place during a time of rapid religious, social, and political change, and were influenced by the broader cultural and legal context of the time.

Controversy and disagreement: The issue of plural marriage in the Latter Day Saint movement has been a source of controversy and disagreement for over a century, and there are varying interpretations and perspectives on the topic, both within and outside of the LDS Church.

These factors, along with others, make it difficult to fully understand and piece together the details of Smith's involvement in secret marriages and the history of plural marriage in the LDS Church.

Q#3:
Some of the general authorities are sealed to their second wife in the Mormon Temple? Can this be considered as a plural marriage, because they perform this sealing ritual, believing that they will live with their wives in the next world?

AI's Answer:
The sealing of a man to more than one woman in the LDS Temple is sometimes referred to as "eternal marriage" or "plural marriage for eternity." This practice is based on the belief in the continuation of marriage beyond this life and into the afterlife.

The LDS Church discontinued the practice of plural marriage, or marriage to more than one living person, in 1890. Today, members of the LDS Church are only allowed to be sealed to one spouse, either for time or for eternity, in the temple.

It is important to note that the current teachings and practices of the LDS Church regarding marriage and sealing are distinct from the historical practice of plural marriage. While some members of the church may believe in the concept of eternal marriage to more than one spouse, this is not a doctrine or practice currently accepted or endorsed by the church.

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It is interesting to note "...While some members of the church may believe in the concept of eternal marriage to more than one spouse, this is not a doctrine or practice currently accepted or endorsed by the church."

So according to the AI's response, those who got married again in the temple do something their church does not endorse. What the heck?

It looks like AI must have a big pool of Mormon apologetic sources to draw from.

First, let me just say: isn't ChatGPT awesome? !!

I've played around with it some in the past, but was not aware that it can handle followup questions!

Re. the 1890 changes, it didn't point out that plural marriage continued in secret for many years after.

And I think it's mistaken about this: "members of the LDS Church are only allowed to be sealed to one spouse, either for time or for eternity," If I'm not mistaken, men can be sealed to more than one woman for eternity, as long as the previous spouse is deceased.

It sounds like this is just another way for powerful institutions to skew the results in inquiry in their favor. I'm not sure truth can survive the blessings of modern technology.

Good point. AI can be "trained" with falsehoods. CGI can depict events that never happened. Etc.

Therein lies the answer to Fermi's paradox.

Indeed. (the truth is out there)

:-)

Just like with search engines and algorithms in general, I predict it will be monetized so that the big payers control what is included in AI responses. I also predict the church will pay plenty to make sure that information they want gets prioritized or ditched.

So far my impression of the AI chat is that it writes well but content is questionable.

You assume that Truth, as an absolute, exists.

Perhaps it does in specific fields, but Truth is definitely a variable in terms of the governance of human lives and societies.

I signed on to ChatAI and had some fun with it.  Quite frankly, the fact that it knows more than I do and writes as well as I do (okay, better) is annoying.

Eventually, we're going to get to a place in time where we tell our AI, "make me have a really fun day!" and it will...

How will a human flesh and bones and limited knowledge, be able to compete with an AI?  How will the institutions of marriage and parenting survive?

Thank goodness, at least for me, that Primitivism is going to become a thing!

ChatAi, would you go make me a sandwich?

"Piece o' cake, master...

"No, seriously, do you want a piece of cake?"

Truth is dead.

It's my opinion that "Truth", outside of the realm of observable and repeatable 'science', is a variable.

I imagine that a kind and loving AI (what else could an AI be?!) would move heaven and earth to make each of us happy.

I imagine AIs making sure that their charges never mingle with humans not sharing similar opinions.

Sort of like that joke about heaven, in which the tour guide tells the new arrival, “That wall? That's to keep the mormons from realizing they're not the only ones up here... "