“I Love Progress And Tools, But This One Doesn’t Sit Right”
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
– Psalm 150:6
Christian artist Forrest Frank has a lot to be thankful for, having recently won the GMA Dove Award for Artist of the Year. His songs — such as “Lemonade” and “Your Way’s Better,” the latter of which has a viral dance — have been crossover hits, landing in the Billboard Hot 100.
In a video posted to social media on Thursday, November 20, Forrest wrote, “The No. 1 album, right now, for Christian music on iTunes … is A.I.”
The album in question is Faithful Soul by Solomon Ray, who was generated by artificial intelligence.
Further, Forrest also drew his social media followers’ attention to the fact that the top two singles for Christian music on iTunes are by Solomon Ray: “Find Your Rest” and “Goodbye Temptation.”
These songs are presently above works by Forrest, as well as other prominent Christian artists like Brandon Lake, Elevation Worship, Phil Wickham, and everyone else in the Christian music scene.
RELATED: Is Christianity Going Through A Revival? Brandon Lake Thinks So
Forrest Frank Shares His Concern About A.I. “Artist”
“I hate to even bring attention to this, but I want to just let you guys know this is out there,” said Forrest in his video statement on the A.I.-generated Solomon Ray.
He added, “I think it’s important that we just pause a little bit and kind of ask the questions of like, ‘Is this something that we want?'”
From there, Forrest looked to the nature of artificial intelligence, stating:
“At minimum, A.I. does not have the Holy Spirit inside of it, so I think that’s really weird to be opening up your spirit to something that has no spirit.”
Asking how fellow believers are confronting this dilemma, Forrest added his stance, saying, “I, personally, will not be listening to this. I already don’t listen to secular music, and I’m sure not going to be listening to A.I. Christian music.”
Watch Forrest Frank’s full statement, here:
RELATED: Christian Artist Forrest Frank Loses Nearly 30,000 Followers After Posting Charlie Kirk Video
Christian Responses To Artificial Intelligence
Responding to Forrest Frank’s video statement, Christian artist Phil Wickham commented, “It’s difficult to envision a future where we look back and think creating A.I. was a net positive for our world. At most it should be a tool for humans, not a replacement for them.”
One person emphasized the word “breath” in Psalm 150:6, commenting on Forrest’s video, “Let everything that has BREATH… PRAISE THE LORD.”
A Friday, November 21, article in Christianity Today covered the controversy regarding the artificial intelligence-generated Solomon Ray, with the article titled “The Current No. 1 Christian Artist Has No Soul.”
The article notes that “Ray is a verified artist on the streaming platform,” bringing in “over 324,000 monthly listeners” to become “the top artist on the iTunes top 100 Christian and gospel albums chart this week.”
According to The Christian Post, “Ray is an AI persona created by Mississippi-based artist Christopher Jermaine Townsend, who is known by the stage name Topher.”
Artificial Intelligence is something that everyone is having to become aware of, and many churches have been chiming in on the technological advancement, seeking to provide clarity for believers.
Over the summer, the prominent Reformed church Grace Community Church, which was pastored by the late John MacArthur, released a statement on A.I., which reads, “Artificial intelligence is a misnomer. While this new technology is adept at rapidly finding and reorganizing information, it cannot independently think or create — the best it can do is mimic.”
The late Pope Francis approved a document regarding the Catholic Church’s stance on A.I. earlier this year as well, with the document stating, “Like any product of human creativity, A.I. can be directed toward positive or negative ends. When used in ways that respect human dignity and promote the well-being of individuals and communities, it can contribute positively to the human vocation.”
The Vatican goes on to say, “Yet, as in all areas where humans are called to make decisions, the shadow of evil also looms here. Where human freedom allows for the possibility of choosing what is wrong, the moral evaluation of this technology will need to take into account how it is directed and used.”
Listen To The A.I.-Generated Solomon Ray
While many Christians are rejecting A.I.-generated music like that of the songs released by Solomon Ray, the music has managed to top the Christian charts on iTunes.
On the Instagram account affiliated with Solomon Ray, Ray’s bio reads, “A.I. voice, Mississippi soul.”
The account also touted the 21-day rise of the artist, stating, “The future arrived faster than anyone expected. And his name is Solomon Ray.”
See streaming stats from Solomon Ray’s account, here:
For those who are curious to hear Solomon Ray’s chart-topping music, listen here:
