AI Goes to Church: Pastoral Wisdom for Artificial Intelligence

In this thought-provoking manifesto, pastor Korpi (Your Daughters Shall Prophesy) sets out a vision for how Christians might use AI to deepen their faith. Sketching a theological ethic of the technology, he frames it as a part of God’s creation that should be used to promote “human flourishing” and Christian values like caring for the vulnerable (priorities, he notes, that have been stymied by tech titans who view humans as consumers rather than “sons and daughters of God”). He details how Christians can use AI for good—for example, by using AI to collect and share crop-specific, sustainable strategies with local farmers and strengthening and broadening the church community by using AI to translate languages in real time to streamline missionary work. While the intended audience isn’t always clear—the author’s suggestions seem to be aimed at pastors, parishioners, and college professors all at once—his practical approach neither demonizes nor deifies technology, and is buttressed by robust yet accessible theological explorations of existential questions about what it means to be human. This will provide tech-curious Christians plenty of food for thought. (Sept.)