Can AI Interpret Tongues?

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Can AI Interpret Tongues?

Can AI Interpret Tongues
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A new AI tool claims to interpret someone speaking in tongues—and yes, people are actually testing it. One woman shared a recording of her own private prayer language and says the AI’s translation included themes of divine timing, trust, and surrender. Some are calling it a breakthrough. Others are calling it blasphemy.

The Bible clearly teaches that interpretation of tongues is a spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit—not something manufactured by code or mimicked by machines (1 Corinthians 12:10). So what happens when artificial intelligence steps into that space? Are we witnessing a new tool for spiritual discernment—or crossing into dangerous territory?

This raises deeper questions about discernment, spiritual gifts, and the difference between what is real and what is artificial. Can the Spirit of God work through technological means? Or are we trying to replicate what only God can do?

What do you think?
Has AI gone too far? Or is this a tool God could use?

“The claims made by the AI model have sparked both excitement and concern across the Christian community.”

Read the full story here:

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Ahh, this made me chuckle.

Of course AI will offer an interpretation of tongues, AI is incapable of returning a null response. It has to tell you something, even if that response has no basis in reality.

(IMHO) AI is like the most obnoxiously opinionated person you will ever meet; the very definition of “wired”, an electronic prosaic prig, a dismissive dummy, an ultra-impersonal intellectual, a simulated smarty-pants, one whose presence instantly sucks all the air out of a room. If AI were not A, none of us would care to spend 5 minutes with him/her. Armed with superfluous rhetoric, AI overwhelms an innocent inquirer with a grammatically perfect treatise on any subject, while accepting no responsibility for its veracity. Such a person you and I would intentionally avoid; not because we don’t think they’re smart, but because they feel duty-bound to exterminate all mystery from our lives.

Why we built ourselves a robotic “know-it-all” nerd in the first place, does not make sense to me.

Still chuckling
KP

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chuckles

Don’t hold back, @KPuff , tell us how you really feel.

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Oops, Too much? I see that now.
I usually say, when the dicsussion turns to AI,
“It’s too much A, not enough I”

KP

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Hi,

Before we interpret tongues, do we not have to establish what they are?
First usage is a major clue.
So is the Greek word used.
When tongues were first used, everyone understood them in their native language.
So that also establishes that first usage was a known language to those hearing the words.
Why is it so important to establish this?
Knowing this removes the mystasisum of the miracle.
L
The Greek word used translates to glossary, which also establishes the miracle as a known language.
No mysterious non-understandable language here.
Our phones can do this now.

Non-understandable language is same in every language, gibberish.
The Holy Spirit was not interpreting gibberish.

The miracle is that He interpreted all of the languages at the same time.
They all understood the interpretation in their native language at the same moment in time.
That is something our phones cannot do; at least not yet.

Blessings

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I am both a Pentecostal and an amateur linguist. Different phonemes in different languages are … DIFFERENT. It took me nearly 20 minutes of patient coaching before I could even HEAR (let alone pronounce!) the difference between kar (snow) and kâr (profit). For the second word, you raise your tongue in the middle while pronouncing the vowel. So far, I’ve read the NT in English, French, Greek, Afrikaans, Esperanto, Italian, Spanish, and Turkish. Each of those languages has its own unique set of phonemes.

Let me get a witness, here. Almost always, when I hear someone praying in tongues, they are uttering ENGLISH syllables, ENGLISH phonemes, just randomized so as to eliminate meaning. I think, 99% of the time, when people pray in tongues, they are exercising a NATURAL facility. But one that can add a fresh dimension to our routine prayers.

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Of course it can. It is merely computing power aimed at translating stuff based on patterns and constraints and various rules. AI is a thing. Nothing is evil in and of itself. It just a fast information search, no spiritual aspect to it.

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The second-most popular Italian rock song over the last 50 years consists of English syllables, correctly pronounced, and in permitted order.

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WOW! There is 3m 45s of my life I cannot get back. We are a clever species, aren’t we?
K

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Ok… could you explain how that fits into the discussion for those of us in the back… because I’m trying to follow and I can’t figure it out.

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AI has spiritual ramifications and it’s not the spirit of truth of the God of Israel. Come on people this is the perfect set up to deceive people seeking Christ. It will be easy to get the answers you want if you don’t know Christ. Deception of the end times is here and if you have seen what Elon Musk is coming out with next we are right at the gate of tribulation. In reality the beast system is materializing right before our eyes. It is pretty cool to see that prophecy is coming true.
Next big event will be the rapture. Let’s go people get ready!!! lol seriously though it is amazing to be alive in this time of history. We are lucky enough to see what all the Saints throughout history longed to see. Just be ready for the ride folks as this is going to get crazy. It could be this year the rapture happens. It could be in 10 years. All in God‘s timing, not ours.

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Good question, honored Admin.

Is a man supernaturally speaking in a foreign language if he is only using the phonemes of his OWN language? As Adriano demonstrates, you can say total nonsense using legitimate phonemes. As do most people who pray in tongues.

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@KPuff, @Joe, @Dr_S … you’ve each brought a sliver of truth to the table, but let’s not pretend it’s the whole loaf.

KPuff, your poetic roast of AI was entertaining… I’ll give you that. But satire without substance is just noise with flair. Yes, AI spits out responses whether it knows what it’s talking about or not. But that makes it no different from half the modern pulpits packed with smooth words and zero Scripture. The issue isn’t that AI talks… it’s that too many Christians can’t tell if what they’re hearing lines up with the Word. Discernment isn’t optional… it’s a command. And while AI may be a synthetic smarty-pants, it still doesn’t hold a candle to flesh-and-blood false teachers who butcher tongues, prophecies, and basic doctrine for emotional theatrics and tithe money. If AI removes mystery, maybe that’s a threat to folks who built their theology on fog instead of Scripture.

Joe, you started right where the Spirit started… Acts 2. Known languages. Actual dialects. Not spiritual gibberish or holy mumbo jumbo. And you nailed the Greek. “Glossa” means language. The miracle wasn’t in making sounds nobody understood… it was in the fact that everyone heard in their own native language. That’s the Holy Spirit showing off sovereignty, not staging a spectacle. You said it… our phones can’t do that, but God did.

Dr_S, I appreciate your linguistic deep dive, but here’s the thing… if what we call “tongues” today is just English phonemes tossed in a blender, then let’s quit pretending it’s the fire from Pentecost. If the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience… not babble without interpretation… then a lot of what passes for tongues today is spiritual performance art, not spiritual power. Paul said if there’s no interpretation, keep quiet in church. He didn’t say roll your R’s louder. He said edify the body, not just your goosebumps.

The Holy Spirit is not a sound machine, and the gifts are not toys. Tongues in Scripture were a sign to unbelievers… not a badge of deeper holiness. And interpretation? That’s not just translation… it’s revelation. AI can guess. It can mimic. But it can’t reveal what the Spirit speaks to the church. That’s not a dig at tech… that’s just theology.

So no… AI can’t truly interpret tongues. But neither can half the folks faking it on Sunday. Let’s test every spirit, not just the silicon ones.

—Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.

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I have been to various churches in different denominations and witnessed speaking in tongues, but I see it mostly in Pentecostal and Assembly of God churches. Why?

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Ah, SuperSoaker, you brought another dimension to this conversation; a tangent that while sadly accurate, does not speak to our topic of AI. False teachers.

You opine that:

I wholeheartedly agree with you (I usually do). A word spoken, or written, supposedly on behalf of God, does not need to be “A” to completely lack “I”. Like you, I have wept through too many “sermons”, and not because my heart was moved to repentance, but because it was maimed to repulsion.

You also point-out that

As you know, one can hardly turn a page in the NT without reading some warning about false teachers, “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, and all of them are speaking of flesh-and-blood butchers of the flock. There is probably no other alarm more still in need of sounding in the twenty-first century than this one, and so I sincerely appreciate that you sounded it here. Even if your alarm is technically “of topic”, alarms, by their very nature are inconsiderate; un-dulled by decorum and unconcerned about convention A good alarm does not wait for an opportune time to blast, and so I have learned to thank the noisy and intrusive alarm-horn. Thank-you @SincereSeeker!

KP

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@KPuff, just so I’m clear, are you saying that people who use AI for study or teaching are false teachers?
Want to make sure I’m not misreading you.

J.

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@SincereSeeker

Let’s get one thing straight. Comparing AI to modern false teachers isn’t clever, it’s confusion dressed as commentary. You say AI blurts out answers whether it “knows” or not, then liken it to pulpits void of Scripture. But that’s a false equivalence. AI isn’t a preacher, a prophet, or a pastor, it’s a tool. A hammer isn’t a false carpenter just because someone misuses it. It’s not the instrument that’s in error, it’s the handler. Accountability doesn’t fall on the wires; it falls on the will.

And no, the danger isn’t that Christians “can’t tell” what’s true, it’s that many won’t test it. Scripture doesn’t say “discern by gut”; it says, “Examine everything carefully, hold fast to what is good” (1 Thess 5:21). If someone uses AI to engage Scripture more, verify translations, or access commentaries they never could before, that’s not deception, that’s diligence. The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11)—if they’d had a concordance or AI model, they’d have used it. Why? Because the standard is always the Word, not the medium.

As for your jab about AI “removing mystery”-let’s not act like theological fog is a virtue. God didn’t veil truth to keep people impressed; He revealed it to make them holy. Mystery without revelation is religion without light. If someone built their theology on mystique instead of manuscript, then yes, clarity is a threat. But that’s not AI’s fault. That’s the fault of preachers who fear Scripture more than silence.

You call AI a “synthetic smarty-pants”? Sure. But it never told anyone to sow a seed for a jet plane, never turned tongues into circus acts, never barked like a dog in the name of revival. The worst it does is repeat bad theology already written by men. So don’t be mad that the mirror is digital. Be mad that the reflection stings.

The real issue is this: God can speak through donkeys (Num 22:28), burning bushes (Ex 3:2), pagan kings (Isa 45:1), and even Pharisees (John 11:49–52). If He can use broken vessels, He can use silicon ones too. The question is never “Can He?”-but “Will we test what we hear by His Word?”

So let’s stop throwing shade at the tool. If AI exposes shallowness, misquotes, or unbiblical traditions, maybe it’s not the tool that’s the problem. Maybe it’s the pulpit.

Scripture is the plumbline, not personality. Truth doesn’t fear clarity, it demands it.

J.

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@Johann, of course not. I didn’t think anyone could ever logically come to that conclusion by what I said. If so, I’m a very poor communicator.

I made my living in the technology field, and so it is one area in which I maintain some level of expertise. Working in technology may be understood a little like working in a sausage factory; those who see how it’s made tend to exercise a greater, more discriminating caution in its consumption.

I agree with you that AI is a powerful tool, and should be treated as such. You make a solid point. The same point could be said about many things. i.e., I consider opioids to be a powerful tool for effectively managing pain; a great pharmaceutical advancement in health care which has become essential to the wellbeing of many people. Some people use them properly, and some do not. Similarly, I also recognize that there are side effects that could endanger an incautious user. It would be unwise to put opioids in the analgesic isle at the drug store beside the aspirin. I hope my analogy is clear.

For me personally (not for you, nor is this aimed at anyone else but myself) regarding both AI and opioids. Paul says:

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Corinthians 6:12

Hope this brings you peace.
Shalom my friend
KP

(Sorry, I wrote this twice and deleted it because the interface was not showing it as a "reply to @Johann. I wanted to be sure I had posted it correctly. And I said technology is in my wheel house. Phew!)

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No problemos brother @KPuff

The Context of the Letter: Corinth’s Carnal Church
Paul is addressing a church drowning in compromise. Corinth was morally rotten—a port city filled with sexual promiscuity, temple prostitution (especially at the temple of Aphrodite), philosophical pride, and lawsuits. The believers had been saved from darkness (cf. 1 Cor 6:9–11), but many had carried the world’s slogans, ethics, and logic into the church.

Paul is writing not just to correct doctrine, but to confront a crisis of spiritual identity. The Corinthian believers were abusing Christian liberty, twisting grace into a license for fleshly indulgence. Their logic? “We’re not under law… therefore everything is allowed!”

  1. The Immediate Argument (1 Cor 6:12–20): The Body and Sexual Morality
    Paul is zeroing in on sexual immorality, and he’s quoting their slogans in order to expose their false reasoning. The phrase “All things are lawful for me” (Πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν) appears twice—this is likely a Corinthian catchphrase, not Paul’s own claim. The Corinthians had taken the doctrine of freedom in Christ and weaponized it to justify sin, especially sexual sin (cf. 1 Cor 5:1–2).

So Paul confronts their slogan, not by denying Christian liberty, but by drawing two essential lines:

  1. The Structure of Paul’s Response in v.12
    “All things are lawful for me” – their slogan (twisted liberty).
    “…but not all things are helpful” – Paul responds with divine wisdom (beneficial?).
    “All things are lawful for me” – they repeat the claim.
    “…but I will not be brought under the power of any” – Paul adds a warning about enslavement.

Greek verbs:

ἔξεστιν (exestin) – “is lawful, is permitted.” It’s a verb of permission, not of benefit.

συμφέρει (sympherei) – “is beneficial, profitable, helpful.” Paul appeals to edification, not mere allowance.

ἐξουσιασθήσομαι (exousiasthēsomai) – “I will not be mastered/controlled by.” This is future passive—Paul is saying he will not allow himself to come under the authority or domination of anything, even something technically “lawful.”

So while Corinth says “freedom!”, Paul replies, “Not everything that’s legal builds up—and I refuse to be enslaved by what grace has freed me from.”

  1. The Deeper Theology: Grace Does Not Excuse Bondage
    Paul is drawing a line between lawful and edifying, between permissible and enslaving. Just because something isn’t explicitly forbidden doesn’t mean it’s spiritually safe. He’s not preaching legalism—he’s preaching holiness fueled by grace. The gospel doesn’t just free us from law, it frees us from sin’s dominion (cf. Romans 6:14).

And notice—Paul links spiritual authority with bodily control. In verses 13–20, he takes the conversation into the realm of the body, reminding them:

The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord (v.13)

Your bodies are members of Christ (v.15)

You are not your own—you were bought with a price (v.19–20)

The cross of Christ isn’t just for your soul—it claims your body, your desires, your liberties. The Spirit now indwells the believer’s body as a ναὸς (naos), a holy sanctuary. So casual sexual sin—or any addiction cloaked in liberty—is not just poor judgment, it’s spiritual treason.

  1. Application for the Church Today
    We must ask: Does our view of Christian liberty fuel sanctification, or excuse sin?
    Do we claim “freedom” to justify entertainment, habits, substances, or relationships that enslave us spiritually?

Paul’s standard is clear:
If it doesn’t build up, it’s not worthy of your body. If it takes control, it’s not worthy of your freedom.
Freedom in Christ is not the right to sin without consequence—it’s the power to walk in holiness without condemnation.

Summary:
1 Corinthians 6:12 is Paul smashing the Corinthian slogan of sloppy grace.
He uses their own words, flips them on their head, and draws a line between freedom that edifies and liberty that enslaves.
He warns that not everything “lawful” is spiritually wise—and nothing should rule over the believer except Christ.
The cross didn’t just purchase your soul—it bought your body, and that body is now a temple of the Holy Spirit.
So let no “freedom” dethrone your King or defile His temple.

“All things are lawful” is not the voice of the Spirit.
But “All things are helpful for building up the body of Christ”—that’s where liberty lives.

J.

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@KPuff, my brother… your words were like a sledgehammer to silence. I’m grateful you didn’t just nod in agreement but stood up and shouted with holy clarity. You’re right… alarms don’t need permission. They need volume. And when smooth-talking pulpits lull the sheep to sleep, sometimes God sends a jarring blast through unlikely messengers. I’m honored to be a noisy nuisance for the Kingdom. If the alarm shakes up the comfort zone, then praise God for the disturbance.

Now @Johann… let’s talk straight.

You’re not wrong to say AI is a tool. But when the tool is being asked to weigh in on tongues, doctrine, and the supernatural work of the Spirit… it’s no longer just a wrench in the shed. It’s in the pulpit. And the second people begin quoting its output like Scripture, it graduates from processor to preacher in their minds. That’s not the fault of the hardware… but it is the reality of the influence.

You say the danger isn’t that people can’t tell what’s true, but that they won’t test it. Amen. That’s exactly why I drew the line from AI to false teachers. Not because AI is evil, but because many treat it like it’s right by default. That’s the same passive gullibility that gave us feel-good sermons with no cross, healing lines with no repentance, and spiritual hype with no holiness.

And let’s not pretend the Bereans would have just Googled their way to discernment. They searched the Scriptures daily. Not the commentaries. Not the trending sermons. Not the most shared takes on Christian Twitter. The Word. That’s the standard… not how convincing or convenient a voice may sound.

You say the mirror stings. Good. That’s what truth does when it hits flesh. And if AI holds up a digital mirror that exposes our shallow doctrines, untested beliefs, or comfortable traditions… maybe we should stop blaming the circuitry and start repenting for the compromise.

God used a donkey. He can use a database. But neither one replaces the Word rightly divided by a Spirit-filled life. So don’t hand your discernment over to a machine or a man. Test everything. Hold fast to what is good. Reject what is false.

Scripture is the scalpel. The rest is just noise.

—Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.