I prefer Human Worship

My typical morning routine goes something like this: coffee, read Scriptures, and pray. I also like to listen to worship music while I’m stretching out.

A while back I discovered a YouTube station with some really great morning worship. Many of the songs being played on this particular YouTube channel are new to me. Some songs are based on books from the Bible like James, the Psalms, and other books of the Bible. I’m amazed at how they can perfectly match the words of Scripture to some really catchy tunes. In fact, the production is so high quality it kind of blows my mind. Every note and every instrument is sung and played with absolute perfection. As the songs are playing, there are pictures of beautiful places but no pictures of people singing or playing instruments.

One morning not too long ago, I was sorting through YouTube worship channels when I came across a guy singing with nothing more than a guitar and a microphone somewhere in the UK. He has some soul, and I found myself entering into worship as he sang and sometimes prayed between songs. He had a nice voice, not perfect, but nice. I found myself worshiping with a little more connection than the other YouTube worship stations I had been listening to. The next day I listened to the same guy playing next to a river and the next day in his backyard.

I’ve been giving some thought as to why I felt a stronger connection to his worship rather than the other worship station. I did some research and discovered that the worship music from the other station is AI-generated. I have nothing against AI. In fact, I use it pretty often and find it very helpful. If you were to compare Samuel Jackson Reed (he’s the guy from the UK) to the AI station I listen to, you would probably say from a musical standpoint, and certainly from a production standpoint, the AI is better.

Then why do I feel a stronger connection to the human rather than the AI channel?

I think there are some things AI can’t produce. AI has no soul. It eliminates the human factor.

A few mornings ago, I was listening to my man Samuel Jackson Reed, and suddenly an insect buzzed him and he stopped. He acknowledged what happened, laughed a little, and carried on. That’s the human factor right there.

AI will continue to advance and help us in a variety of ways, but it can never replace the human soul. And that's why I prefer human worship.

Stay close to Jesus,

Steve