An ecumenical group of several dozen Christians recently gathered in Minneapolis to engage in conversation about the present and future of Artificial Intelligence and the church. The event, called “Faithful Futures: Guiding AI with Wisdom and Witness,” also took place online.
Artificial Intelligence — or AI — is increasingly prevalent in society, particularly with the rise of Large Language Models (LMM) like ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI. While traditional AI focuses on analysis and prediction, generative AI produces new content, including text, images, video and audio. The rapidly expanding access to and use of generative AI by the general public has led to a number of questions about the ethical implications of such technology, including environmental impact and intellectual property rights. In addition to ethical questions, the introduction of generative AI also catalyzes theological questions about creativity, intelligence, love, truth, sin and what it means to be human.
The Office of Innovation within the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA) is committed to helping navigate the transformative landscape of Generative Artificial Intelligence by prioritizing Christian ethics and issues of justice, access, and equity in the use of AI tools alongside the faithful, innovative uses of AI technology.
This work included participation in the organization and implementation of the “AI and the Church Summit,” which took place in Seattle last August and convened leaders of the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the PC(USA). The summit took place both at Epiphany Parish and Microsoft’s campus and included a keynote from Father Paolo Benanti, an Italian Catholic priest who advised Pope Francis on ethical issues around technology and who helped write A Rome Call for AI Ethics. Benanti’s talk emphasized the church’s responsibility to question how technology like AI shapes society and demonstrate what ethical stewardship of such technology looks like.
Faithful Futures continued this exploration of “how the Church can help shape the future of artificial intelligence with theological depth, ethical clarity and practical innovation.” The event was organized by the Office of Innovation in collaboration with TryTank Research Institute, a project of Virginia Theological Seminary, the ELCA Innovation Lab, and the United Methodist Church’s Discipleship Ministries. In addition, Benanti participated along with several colleagues from the Catholic Church.
The event featured four speakers: Dr. Philip Butler, Dr. Jane McGonigal, Jovonia Taylor and Dr. Miguel De La Torre.
Butler is a scholar specializing in the intersection of neuroscience, technology, spirituality and Blackness. He serves as the director of the Iliff School of Theology’s AI Institute and is the founder of the Seekr Project, which explores the iterative connections between generative AI, mental health and critical Black consciousness.
McGonigal specializes in developing games that simulate and predict the future. She is the author of several books, most recently including “Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything, Even Things That Seem Impossible Today.”
Taylor is one of Amazon’s Business Technology executives and has more than 20 years of expertise in designing solutions across engineering, marketing, operations, information technology, merchandising, and supplier management.
De La Torre, who offered a charge to close the gathering, is Professor of Social Ethics and Latine Studies at the Iliff School of Theology and focuses on social ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class and gender oppression.
In addition to the work of the Office of Innovation, the PC(USA) is responding to questions around the ethics of AI and how the church engages with such technology in other ways. In 2024, the 226th General Assembly directed the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy to develop of a new social witness policy and conduct a study on the responsible use of AI. The office of Research Services is also currently conducting a survey to “help gauge the perception of the wider church on Artificial Intelligence.”
Layton Williams Berkes, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS Story)
Let us join in prayer for:
Ashley Gibson, HR Assistant, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group
Sharon Dunne Gillies, Managing Editor, Presbyterian Women
Let us pray:
You who are the Word made flesh, we thank you for the many ways we have to spread your good news. May the presence of your churches reach many who are in need of ministry and the news of your living presence in our midst. Amen.
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