Download “In the World” for December 1, 2024 here.
BETTER THAN SEVEN DOCTORS
Computer scientists at Washington State University (WSU) have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify signs of disease better than humans. Using a process called “deep learning,” the researchers trained an AI program on real animal and human biopsy images. “This AI-based deep learning program was very, very accurate at looking at these tissues,” said Michael Skinner, a WSU biologist involved with the study. The system did in minutes what human experts take hours or days to do, and it also did a better job, spotting signs of disease that human teams had missed. The system holds special potential for quickly and accurately diagnosing cancer and other gene-related diseases.
BETTER THAN SEVEN SONS
When Ruth bore a son to Boaz, the boy (named Obed) was considered Naomi’s son for the purposes of family lineage and inheritance. The women of Bethlehem celebrated the resurrection of Naomi’s prospects and heritage, saying that her daughter-in-law Ruth had become to her better than seven sons.
- What excites or worries you about the rapid development of artificial intelligence?
- In what ways do you think Naomi considered Obed her own son?
- When have you found God’s blessings to be even better than what you had hoped to receive?
Additional Resources
Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.
- Contemporary Worship Weekly
- Echoes Worship Weekly
- Traditional Worship Weekly
- “Ruth: BIG Message in a SHORT Story” from BibleProject Team
- “Commentary on Ruth 1:1–4:22” from Kathryn M. Schifferdecker
- Audio Podcast: “Preaching Series on Ruth” from Rolf Jacobson, Craig R. Koester, and Kathryn M. Schifferdecker