Artificial Intelligence, Deities, and Machines: Reframing Morality in a World Controlled by Technology and AI
In the rapidly evolving world of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way into various aspects of life, including religion. This interaction involves reshaping spiritual expression, addressing theological and ethical concerns, and contributing moral perspectives to AI’s role in society.
Religious life is increasingly integrating AI via apps, chatbots, and digital platforms that offer prayer, guidance, and scripture interaction. This provides new spiritual opportunities, particularly for those outside traditional religious settings, expanding access to faith practices beyond conventional places of worship. However, this adaptation raises concerns regarding over-reliance on AI for spiritual matters and the possible loss of communal and doctrinal depth.
Religious leaders emphasize that AI cannot truly embody or understand faith—it lacks belief, worship, and spiritual conviction—and that AI-generated spiritual guidance may blend conflicting doctrines or propagate biases due to its data-driven nature, potentially distorting religious teachings and undermining spiritual accountability. Some denominations integrate AI cautiously in administrative roles but remain wary of its use for core theological instruction.
Ethically, several religious traditions are directly influencing AI discourse. For example, the Vatican’s 2025 document highlights the unique nature of human intelligence as a holistic spiritual and moral faculty, contrasting it with AI’s functional, computational intelligence. The document stresses that true human intelligence integrates truth, goodness, and beauty guided by faith, a dimension AI cannot replicate. The Vatican calls for responsible AI use aimed at benefiting humanity without degrading human dignity, emphasizing discernment and moral grounding from religious traditions.
More broadly, religious ethics contribute principles centered on human dignity, communal relationships, and common prosperity. Faith leaders urge a collaborative approach to embedding a moral compass in AI that incorporates pluralistic religious and ethical values, ensuring AI supports human flourishing rather than unchecked technological dominance. This includes actively combating AI-generated religious discrimination and fostering inclusive, human-centric AI governance.
In summary, religious traditions are adapting to AI by incorporating it as a tool for spiritual access while cautioning against its misuse for doctrinal authority. They influence AI ethics by asserting the need for moral values rooted in faith to guide AI development, highlighting that AI lacks the integrative spiritual intelligence central to humanity and religious life. This dialogue between religion and AI shapes both evolving faith practices and ethical frameworks governing AI.
Meanwhile, the world of AI is pushing boundaries in other ways. For instance, US AI has achieved 70% accuracy in predicting nuclear fusion, surpassing supercomputers. A Chinese lab has developed a pistol-sized vacuum tube that could potentially build game-changing electronic warfare devices. The Vatican has enacted some of the world's most comprehensive internal AI guidelines for a sovereign territory, covering data transparency, energy consumption, and the ethical principles against autonomous weapons.
Ancient mythical archetypes are gaining new relevance in the convergence of religion and AI. The Golem of Prague, a cautionary tale about the limits of human control over artificial creations, has been compared to autonomous AI systems. Theologians and AI ethicists warn that just as the Golem was animated without a soul or conscience, AI lacks moral understanding and thus poses risks if given too much autonomy or decision-making power.
In the Muslim world, AI is increasingly viewed as both an engine of prosperity and a test of fidelity. The World Economic Forum projects that the number of Muslims globally will nearly match that of Christians by 2050. Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Center, feeds fragmented transport lists and testimonies into machine-learning systems to restore names to victims once recorded as blank lines.
The dialogue between religion and AI is a complex and ongoing one, shaping both the religious landscape and the ethical considerations of AI development. As AI continues to evolve, it is clear that its role in society will be significantly influenced by the values and principles that religious traditions bring to the table.
Technology and innovation in AI are transforming the way religious practices are experienced, with apps, chatbots, and digital platforms providing spiritual opportunities (Science, Technology). However, religious leaders emphasize the importance of humans retaining doctrinal depth and communal connections, cautioning against over-reliance on AI for spiritual matters (Religion). Furthermore, the ethics of AI are significantly influenced by religious traditions, as they contribute principles centered on human dignity, communal relationships, and common prosperity, urging a collaborative approach to embedding a moral compass in AI (Religion, Ethics, Science, Technology).
