Paper short abstract:

In this paper, I explore the ways AI and Faith, an educational nonprofit organization, has emerged and contributes to restructuring relations of the secular and the religious. Further, I explore the intersection of how AI and Faith questions Faith in AI.

Paper long abstract:

Technological discourses often flirt with religious and spiritual language, as observed in expressions of being “blessed by the algorithm” (Singler, 2020) and the programming of “god mode” in video games (Steffen, 2014). Of recent interest is the emergence of “godbots” (Keane & Shapiro, 2023) and a growing consortium of people interested in bringing “the wisdom of the world’s great religions to the discussion around the moral and ethical challenges of artificial intelligence” has emerged (AI and Faith, 2024). Noble (1999) and Geraci (2010, 2022) have explored religious notions of transcendence in both utopian and dystopian discourses of technological futures. Geraci, an advisor for AI and Faith , argues that an emphasis on ethics and human values are crucial for shaping a responsible future of AI (2022).

AI and Faith is “a diverse community composed of experts in business, ethics, theology, and technology from a wide variety of business, religious, and academic institutions” (2024) that represent a complex hybridity beyond mixing sacred + secular, Religious Studies + Science and Technology Studies, religion + technology. In this paper, I explore the ways AI and Faith, an educational nonprofit organization, has emerged and contributes to restructuring relations of the secular and the religious. Further, I explore the intersection of how AI and Faith questions Faith in AI.