In an article for The Conversation, Pauline Hope Cheong addresses concerns about the development of AI generated sermons and worship services. Responding to a 2023 sermon delivered by robots in St. Paul’s Church in Bavaria, Germany, Cheong addresses the ways in which AI technologies still require human intelligence in religious practices.
AI cannot simply displace humans, since storytelling and programming continue to be critical for its development and deployment.
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[W]hile religious leaders appear to be undervalued in AI development and discourse, I argue that it is important to recognize the ways in which clergy are contributing to skillful communication involving AI technologies. In the process, they are co-constructing the conversations that chatbots such as the one at the church in Bavaria are having with congregants.