The rise of artificial intelligence presents a dazzling array of philosophical and ethical questions. What is intelligence? How does it differ from consciousness and personhood? Is AI the simulation of activities of intelligent beings or the creation of a new kind of intelligent being? Will certain AI bots become so sophisticated that these beings have emergent brain states similar to animal or human brain states, and if so, what are our moral obligations toward them?
It also presents distinctly theological questions. Is the development of AI an act of hubris or idolatry, or a reflection of the image of our Creator and a fulfillment of our calling to bring order and fruitfulness to the world? What would it mean to align AI technologies toward human flourishing in a manner that reflects a Christian concept of what it means to be human?
Given the pace of the AI revolution, Christians cannot afford to be late to this conversation. Fortunately, the biblical narrative and Christian theology have much to say on these topics. They yield a vision of technology that’s neither utopian nor catastrophist but is rooted in a complex and critical view of what it means to be human, to be sinful, and to join with God in the cultivation and restoration of all things.
“We should be careful not to anthropomorphize or idolize AI,” writes @TimDalrymple_.
— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) July 9, 2025
“Instead, we should welcome it for what it is—a reflection of God’s creativity in us that can lead to both extraordinary destruction and extraordinary good.”https://t.co/1XR4vR6mZQ