AI Guardrails for Christian Business Owners Misty Phillip
Recently I was fact-checking something, and Google's AI handed me a description of a Scripture passage that didn't sound right. When I looked it up, the AI had stretched what the passage says almost to the point of making it up.
That's a big reason I wanted Misty Phillip on the podcast. Misty is COO of Trilogy Works, she and her husband advise CEOs on cybersecurity and AI, and she wrote The Trojan Horse of the Digital Age: Why Christians Must Discern AI. She sees most Christians in one of two camps: afraid of AI, or "running with scissors" because they don't know the dangers.
Listen to the full episode.
Where AI belongs in your business
Misty uses AI all the time for what she calls administrative work, like client briefs, slide decks, newsletters, and even a retractable banner for speaking events. She won't use it as a counselor or a friend, because it has no heart and isn't moral, and she checks every output and looks up every verse herself. I use it the same way for content. It can fact-check and find sources, but it doesn't get to build my thoughts.
She was just as clear about what never goes in: personal identifying information, medical and financial records, and your clients' data. Her test is whether you'd share it on a stage in front of millions of people. Then she told us her husband deepfaked a bank's CEO in a couple of hours for a security exercise, and it looked and sounded just like him.
Decide before you prompt
My confession: I recently took an AI bootcamp, and the tool kept asking whether I wanted it to make the next thing. Just because it can doesn't mean it should. Misty's line stuck with me: your guardrails are only as strong as your convictions. Daniel made up his mind about the king's food before he ever got to the king's table. She calls this a personal AI apologetic.
So before you go any deeper, what do you believe about AI, and what are you willing to let it do?
Scripture referenced
2 Timothy 1:7: God hasn't given us a spirit of fear
Daniel 1:8: Daniel resolved ahead of time not to eat the king's food
Genesis 41: Joseph stored up in the good years for the lean ones
Exodus 20:8–10: God's command to rest
FAQs
How should Christians use AI in business?
As an assistant for administrative work like decks, briefs, and drafts, while checking every output and keeping your own thinking and voice. Decide what AI will and won't do in your business before you start.
What should you never put into ChatGPT or Claude?
Personal identifying information, medical or financial records, and client data. If you wouldn't share it on a stage in front of millions of people, leave it out.
Can AI be trusted to explain Scripture?
Not without checking. Look up every verse yourself, because AI can misstate what a passage says or means.
