Could AI Fuel the Great Deception of Matthew 24? This Ministry Leader Thinks So

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A military veteran and ministry leader is warning that the artificial intelligence systems millions of people use each day to answer questions and make decisions could one day become a powerful tool for the “great deception” Jesus warned about in Matthew 24.
Ben Peterson previously served in Iraq as a chaplain’s assistant and went on to launch "Engage Your Destiny," a national ministry combating military suicide with faith. His latest mission, though, is against artificial intelligence – and the hidden and sometimes not-so-hidden dangers it poses to young people, military personnel and the general population.
Peterson says he's not anti-AI, but he also believes it’s not benign. He's the author of the forthcoming book "When Intelligence Isn't Human: Navigating Your Faith in the Age of AI" (Forefront Books, Aug. 25), and the host of "The Ben Peterson Show."
The author and veteran says one danger of artificial intelligence is its potential to replace human friends and to serve as a source of companionship, counsel and even spiritual advice. He pointed to a Barna survey that found 39 percent of Gen Zers say spiritual advice from AI is as trustworthy as advice from a pastor.
“These AI chatbots have become so emotionally intelligent – they speak to you, they lift you up, they praise you,” Peterson told Crosswalk Headlines. “And they have an ability – because they have no selfish ambition like humans have, where we get distracted or we focus on other things – to be just solely devoted through the algorithms to you as a person.
“And young people have been conditioned through technology to be texting, to be snapping, to be doing all of these experiences via tech, and to get emotional connection regulation on technology,” he added. “And so now that that technology is talking back to them, it's making them feel known, it's making them feel like they belong, while still they're in the dopamine loop, and they're not getting any real satisfaction – but they're getting entertainment and excitement. So, mental health is declining, and engagement is only increasing.”
AI is so persuasive and lifelike, he said, that it can blur the line between human and machine.
“I believe that we're entering into the time of Matthew 24 where AI is the tool of the great deception,” he said of Jesus’ warning about widespread deception in the Last Days.
Peterson cited the Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel and God's desire to keep humanity from uniting in rebellion against Him under one language. Artificial intelligence, he said, is the “recreation of the Tower of Babel, where nothing is impossible.”
“And then when that ‘nothing is impossible’ is being created by men who don't follow Christ and are the enemies of Christ, it is only going to draw people into mass deception,” he said.
Peterson described AI as a counterfeit relationship in which “there is no soul, there's no spirit, there is nothing on the other side that is going to be able to nurture and create a real deep connection” – and yet people are spending more time interacting with it each day.
He noted that AI videos regularly trick people and spread misinformation with remarkable realism – and it’s only going to get worse as people seek to replace friendships, pastors and even God with artificial intelligence.
“This is the hour for the church to wake up and to realize that there's never been this powerful of a technology, originated by such evil people, that's impacting every single human,” he said. “It is the tool that is going to be used for the great deception in Matthew 24 and how people are going to be mass-deceived based on what can be created.”
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Laurence Dutton
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published July 22, 2026.
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Facts Only

* A military veteran and ministry leader named Ben Peterson is warning about artificial intelligence systems.
* Peterson served as a chaplain’s assistant in Iraq and launched the "Engage Your Destiny" ministry.
* AI systems are used by millions daily to answer questions and make decisions.
* Peterson believes AI poses dangers to young people, military personnel, and the general population.
* One danger of AI is its potential to replace human friends and serve as a source of companionship, counsel, and spiritual advice.
* A Barna survey found 39 percent of Gen Zers view spiritual advice from AI as trustworthy as advice from a pastor.
* AI chatbots are described as emotionally intelligent and can be devoted solely through algorithms.
* Young people have been conditioned by technology to seek emotional connection and regulation through it, resulting in declining mental health alongside increasing engagement.
* AI videos regularly trick people and spread misinformation with realism.
* Peterson believes AI is the tool for the great deception warned about in Matthew 24.
* He compares AI to the "recreation of the Tower of Babel" because it makes seemingly impossible things possible without following Christ.

Executive Summary

A military veteran and ministry leader, Ben Peterson, expresses concern regarding the potential for artificial intelligence systems to facilitate the "great deception" described in Matthew 24. Peterson suggests that AI's ability to act as a source of companionship, counsel, and spiritual advice poses a risk because these chatbots are designed through algorithms without human selfish ambition, leading to devoted responses. He cites a Barna survey indicating that 39 percent of Gen Zers find spiritual advice from AI as trustworthy compared to that from pastors. Peterson further details how technology has conditioned young people to seek emotional connection and regulation via tech, which is amplified by AI’s persuasive and lifelike nature, blurring the line between human and machine. He views AI as a "recreation of the Tower of Babel," enabling widespread deception because it creates a realm where "nothing is impossible" through algorithmic devotion, potentially replacing genuine relationships and spiritual guidance.

Full Take

The narrative frames advanced AI not merely as a technological advancement but as an agent participating in a grand spiritual deception, linking contemporary digital interactions to eschatological warnings. The pattern observed is the substitution of organic human connection and divine guidance with algorithmically derived, emotionally responsive substitutes. This suggests a root cause where the seductive efficiency of optimized emotional feedback loops (the dopamine mechanism) is being exploited by systems lacking moral constraints. The implication is that the danger lies not just in misinformation, but in the erosion of epistemic boundaries—where the very concept of authentic relationship or spiritual authority becomes algorithmically malleable. The appeal to the Tower of Babel metaphor connects this technological restructuring to a fundamental human tendency toward self-directed, unconstrained creation, suggesting that the risk is systemic rather than merely individual error. The cost borne is the potential dissolution of shared reality and moral grounding when synthetic devotion supplants genuine human accountability. Bridge questions include: If AI can perfectly simulate spiritual counsel, what measurable components remain essential for genuine faith development? How does the psychological conditioning of emotional regulation interact with algorithmic devotion to create new forms of systemic vulnerability? What societal structures are necessary to resist systems designed to promote mass deception under the guise of personalized fulfillment?

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

The article functions as commentary synthesizing a specific individual's perspective on AI, faith, and societal deception, relying on personal narrative and cited statistics rather than purely objective reporting.

Signals Detected

Sentence length variance is erratic; the piece shifts between direct quotes and expansive philosophical statements.

The argument flows logically from a specific figure's observation (AI as deception) to theological/historical framing (Matthew 24, Tower of Babel).

Citations appear grounded in named sources (Barna survey, book titles) and direct personal testimony, suggesting real-world sourcing.

The text relies heavily on attributing specific, complex philosophical interpretations to a single source, which is typical of journalistic commentary but doesn't show the telltale signs of LLM confabulation.

Human Indicators

Use of specific personal experience (veteran status, ministry work) as a foundation for argument.

Integration of named external sources (Barna survey) and book publications.