AI, humanity and Christian ministry
by Jeremy Peckham, Jubilee Centre:
Hardly a day goes by without AI being in the news, either some new “ground breaking” achievement that is benefiting society, robot interviews or gloomy dystopian forecasts of its existential threat to our existence. In January 2023, ChatGPT[1] took the world by storm, achieving 100 million users in just two months. Just a few months later and questions about Christianity or the Bible and even the sermon you heard at church can now be answered by ChatGPT-powered chatbots trained with specific Christian content.[2] Over 300 people attended an experimental service at a Lutheran church in Germany conducted by a ChatGPT-powered AI avatar.[3]
These tools have enabled us, perhaps unwittingly, to create a digital priesthood, raising questions for us as to how God desires to communicate His truth and His word. What will be the impact of replacing personal evangelism, our pastor or a Christian friend with an unaccountable digital intermediary where we cannot trace back the words spoken? Will such tools blunt our spiritual formation as we come to depend on chatbots rather than spend the effort reflecting on the word of God?
In this article we will briefly look at the ability of Generative AI to emulate human capabilities and its impact on two specific areas, truth and relationships and the consequences for Christian ministry.
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