Reclaiming the Web
Steve Maltz introduces a proposal for a web evangelism project powered by artifical intelligence
Artificial Intelligence has had a bad press in Christian circles. Then so did computers and the web itself, until we found ways to use them to point people to the Truth.
HOWGYS (How goes your soul?) will be a unique tool, automatically responding to the specific needs of the web visitor – regardless as to their current standing with the Lord – and provide a customised path through relevant content, up to the point where a decision for Christ can be made.
It will be free to use and under continual development, with content and new structure being added on a daily basis by an army of volunteers. Although a stand-alone prototype has been built, it will require a team of experienced coders to bring the vision into reality, as well as a secure hosting environment. This will not be cheap, but we trust that, if (and when) the Lord brings the ‘green light’, financial resources will be made available.
From an initial start-point where a basic profile is determined by a series of opening questions, the visitor is shown customized content (which they are asked to evaluate) and asked questions. This serves to refine the profile as the visitor continues on their journey. When the system determines that sufficient progress has been made towards the goal of receptiveness to the Gospel, a golden button appears on the screen. Pressing this will encourage the visitor to engage with God in prayer and assures them that their journey would now enter a new phase as they ‘do business’ with their Creator. At the same time an alert is sent to an intercessors’ WhatsApp group for prayer support. No personal data is kept by the system, it is completely anonymous. There is no interaction with us through the system though we will have a Facebook page for feedback.
There are short YouTube films available. For a general introduction go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo B2j3Ula6w For a more detailed run-through for the more technically minded go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_ H9-SVHWGA&t=24s If you can help in any way with this project please email me at steve@saltshakers.com
Sword magazine is closely allied to the Foundations family, run by the Saltshakers web ministry (www.saltshakers.com). This is a growing national community of like-minded Bible believers, drawn together through the Foundations conferences that have been held all over the country since 2012. This is a community page not only to highlight ministries that have become a part of Foundations, but also to encourage you to interact with us through our conferences and web pages. SWORD on the Web Subscribers are able to freely access the current issue of Sword as well as a growing archive. If you subscribed online then you will have a log-in provided, but if you are an existing subscriber to the print magazine please email steve@saltshakers.com for a log-in. Not only will you have access to articles but you will also be able to post comments and also access premium content on the Saltshakers website, including audios from all Foundations conferences.