My AI Philosophy

By Kaelyn Johnson, April 19, 2026

With the popularity of AI increasing and its usage rising within the workplace (Kemp), I believe it is helpful to have guidelines in place to keep myself from crossing ethical boundaries and compromising my values. I have defined my own ethical standard by using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral framework, which usesscripture as the foundation alongside church tradition, reason, and experience as supports. In addition, I have chosen to base my philosophy on the human-in-the-loop approach, which means humans should actively be involved in each step of the generative AI process. Regarding my own AI philosophy, I believe the human-in-the-loop approach best aligns with the Wesleyan Quadrilateral framework because:

  1. The approach appeals to the scriptural and traditional view of humanity.
  2. It aligns with using scripture and reason to determine the amount of authority I let AI possess.
  3. It encourages using my previous AI experiences to inform how I will use it in the future.

Scripture, Tradition, and the Human-in-the-Loop Approach

In Genesis 1:27, scripture states that God created humanity in His image. Church tradition uses this verse to explain how people are unique from the rest of creation. Unlike plants and animals (and AI bots), humans have souls, minds, and empathy. In addition, Exodus 35:31-33 states that God has endowed humanity with artistic skills and creative knowledge. I believe the human-in-the-loop approach aligns with scripture because the approach involves using God-given creativity and critical thinking skills throughout the entire generative process. For example, during prompting, I would use my mind to strategically craft a prompt that would get near-perfect results from the first try. Since AI models are often trained with biased information, the careful wording of a prompt is vital for an accurate output. After the AI has generated the item, I must utilize my critical thinking skills to examine if there should be any changes. In this way, AI has not replaced my God-given gifts. Instead, I have used my gifts along with AI to produce a specific and satisfying result.

Scripture, Reason, and the Human-in-the Loop Approach

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but I will not be mastered by anything” (New International Version). I believe this verse applies to my AI usage. I have the right to do anything I want with AI, but that doesn’t mean it’s always a good idea. I believe the real danger from AI isn’t a robotic takeover, but rather the amount of power I let it have over my life. For example, the recent AI companion phenomenon as described by Bryony Cole has caused people to turn to AI for comfort instead of to authentic human relationships (TED). I believe this occurs because people don’t understand that AI lacks a soul, a mind, and empathy. Their behavior seems much like the behavior of the ancient Greeks, who worshipped natural occurrences because they did not understand what those occurrences were (Vassallo). AI does have the potential to become a master, just like any false god, if humans give it that power. Therefore, I believe it is important for me to use reason alongside the human-in-the-loop approach to critically examine how my AI usage is impacting my relationship with God and others.

Experience and the Human-in-the-Loop Approach

My previous experiences with AI have shown me that it can be used as a tool to speed up workflows. For example, I used Gemini when writing out this philosophy for research purposes and for outlining to make the process go faster. All of my notes came from my own knowledge, but I used Gemini to organize them. As I drafted the essay, I decided to move outline points around to help with the organizational flow. This written AI philosophy is still my own work, but the process was helped along by Gemini.

In addition to saving time, my experience has also shown that I can use AI to enhance my creativity. For example, I have been able to use Claud to create video games and Suno to turn my free-verse poetry into songs. AI can take what had once been impossible for me and make it possible (with the right kind of prompting).

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral and the Human-In-The-Loop Approach

I believe I should use AI as a tool to help me better serve God and others. By using the human-in-the-loop approach alongside the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, I am able to determine an ethical standard for analyzing my usage. Within the workplace, I plan to use AI to accomplish tasks that I cannot achieve on my own (such as animating graphics or coding websites). For any written pieces, I plan to try the task with my own skills first (such as in the case of brainstorming, taking notes, and drafting). Then, I will use AI to help make my work more effective (as in the case of organizing notes or using AI for critiques).

Overall, I am grateful for gifts God has given me, and I hope to steward my talents, my time, and the tools He’s given to positively impact the world around me.

Works Cited

Kemp, Andy. “AI Use at Work Rises.” Workplace. 15, Dec. 2025, Gallup, https://www.gallup.com/workplace/701195/frequent-workplace-continued-rise.aspx.

New International Version (NIV) Bible. Zondervan, 2011. Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026. www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/1 Corinthians 6%3A12.

[TED]. “The AI-Generated Intimacy Crisis | Bryony Cole | TED.” YouTube, 14 Feb. 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSMcLEZgEeE

Vassallo, Christian. “Atomism and the Worship of Gods.” Philosophie Antique. 18. (2018): 105-125. Open Edition Journals, https://doi.org/10.4000/philosant.1020.

AI Usage

I used AI to assist me on various aspects of this philosophy, including research, citing, and outlining.

First, I used Gemini for research purposes. I used the prompt:

You are my research assistant. Please provide me with scholarly articles with links that help me answer the question: What civilizations worshiped something (stars, sun, moon, ocean, or any other mysterious natural occurrence) because of their lack of scientific understanding? 

It provided me with several articles directly related to my research question. One of them was from a French website. Using Gemini for research seems to provide specific results from all over the world, which could save time on the research process.

I also used Gemini to cite the French article because I wasn’t sure if I was doing it correctly. It helped me confirm the issue number, but the other information was incorrect. This was my prompt:

You are my research assistant. Please cite this article in APA 7 formatting. https://journals.openedition.org/philosant/1020

This was the output:

To cite the article provided from Philosophie antique, use the following APA 7 format:

In-Text Citation

(Kouloumentas, 2018)

Reference

Kouloumentas, S. (2018). Prodicus on the Rise of Civilization. Philosophie antique, (18), 127–152. https://doi.org/10.4000/philosant.1026

Cited by: 8

Finally, I used Gemini to draft an outline. This was my prompt:

You are my research assistant. Please create an outline that organizes my notes in a logical order. My main point is “my AI philosophy centers on a human-in-the-loop approach,” with my creativity being involved in every process, from prompt crafting to the end result, and everything in between.

This was the output:

This outline organizes your human-centric AI philosophy into a logical progression, moving from the foundational mindset to the granular stages of the creative workflow.

Outline: The Human-in-the-Loop AI Philosophy

  1. Introduction: The Core Philosophy
  • Definition of Human-in-the-Loop (HITL): Establishing AI as an extension of human agency rather than an autonomous replacement.
  • The Creative Mandate: Asserting that the human creator remains the primary architect of meaning, intent, and emotional resonance.
  • Thesis Statement: True innovation occurs at the intersection of human intuition and algorithmic processing, requiring active participation at every stage of the lifecycle.
  1. Phase 1: Conceptualization and Prompt Crafting
  • Intentionality over Automation: The role of the human in defining the “Why” before the AI addresses the “How.”
  • The Art of the Prompt: Treating prompt engineering as a creative discipline—using specific vocabulary, tone, and constraints to steer the model.
  • The Iterative Spark: Using initial AI outputs not as final products, but as “mirrors” to refine and clarify the original human vision.

III. Phase 2: The “In-Between” (The Collaborative Middle)

  • Iterative Sculpting: The process of “noodling” with the AI—adjusting parameters, re-rolling, and pivoting based on real-time feedback.
  • Curation and Filtered Logic: The human role in discerning which AI-generated paths are worth pursuing and which are “hallucinations” or creative dead ends.
  • Maintaining Stylistic Consistency: Ensuring the AI adheres to a specific personal aesthetic or technical standard (e.g., specific attire, lighting, or structural nuances).
  1. Phase 3: Synthesis and Refinement
  • The Human “Final Polish”: Post-processing, editing, and merging AI outputs to remove “uncanny” elements or generic patterns.
  • Contextual Integration: Placing the AI-generated components into a larger, human-built framework (e.g., a larger research paper, a video project, or a design suite).
  • Quality Assurance: The ethical and aesthetic responsibility of the human to verify accuracy and “soul.”
  1. Conclusion: The Future of Co-Creation
  • The “Augmented Creator”: Summarizing how this philosophy leads to higher-quality output that feels personal and authentic.
  • Final Reflection: Re-emphasizing that while the tools are artificial, the creative ownership remains strictly human.

This outline gave me suggestions on what to write because my first set of instructions were too vague. This outline seemed a little too much like Gemini was co-authoring my paper. So I followed up with this prompt:

Thank you! Now, please simply organize these notes into an out line. I do not want anything reworded OR any additional advice. Keep my work all my own, just organize my notes for me. Here are my notes: AI enhances creativity and makes the impossible possible. AI should be used as a too. AI does have the potential to become a master, just like any false God if we give it that power. There seems to be a spiritual component to AI. Use AI to help build others up. I don’t believe the danger is the evil robot takeover, but the power we give over to AI. How do we let it control us out of fear or lack of understanding? Ancient civilizations used to worship things they did not understand. AI can be used to cut down on menial tasks to save time on more important tasks. Just make sure you’re not forgetting tasks or lack the knowledge of why something works the way it does. Human-in-the loop approach. Stay human in every process from prompt crafting to end result and between.

It gave me the following result:

Outline: AI Philosophy and the Human-in-the-Loop

  1. Core Philosophy: The Human-in-the-Loop
  • Human-in-the loop approach.
  • Stay human in every process from prompt crafting to end result and between.
  • AI should be used as a tool.
  • AI enhances creativity and makes the impossible possible.
  1. The Risk: Power, Fear, and Sovereignty
  • I don’t believe the danger is the evil robot takeover, but the power we give over to AI.
  • AI does have the potential to become a master, just like any false God if we give it that power.
  • How do we let it control us out of fear or lack of understanding?
  • Ancient civilizations used to worship things they did not understand.
  • There seems to be a spiritual component to AI.

III. Practical Application and Stewardship

  • AI can be used to cut down on menial tasks to save time on more important tasks.
  • Just make sure you’re not forgetting tasks or lack the knowledge of why something works the way it does.
  • Use AI to help build others up.

I decided to use this outline and adapt the structure as I drafted my essay. I appreciated how quickly it organized my notes and that the notes were completely my own.