The Robot Will See You Now is a collaborative exploration of the intersection of faith and artificial intelligence (AI). As technology races forward, this book emerges as a vital guide for believers in general and pastors in particular navigating this new landscape.
The book is divided into three sections, each dissecting a different facet of the AI-Christianity interface. The first part attempts to paint a broad picture of AI’s current state and potential future, though many of these “future” ideas are our current reality. This chapter delves into the prospect of intelligent, conscious machines and the immediate reality of narrow AI, which leverages vast computing power and big data in specific fields, yielding significant impacts, both beneficial and detrimental.
The second section develops a theological response to AI’s challenges, focusing on the Christian understanding of humanity and our partnership with technology. It explores the philosophical and theological implications of a world shared with intelligent machines, thereby setting the groundwork for the more detailed analyses to follow.
The final section details key areas of AI where profound Christian and ethical thinking is needed, including sextech, jobs, health and social care, surveillance capitalism, and artistic creation. Each area is explored with a depth and nuance that reflects the complexity of the issues at hand.
What sets this book apart is its ability to balance the macroscopic view of AI with the specific implications for Christian ministry. It encourages reflection on the appropriate degree of autonomy that AI should be allowed within our ministries and on how to balance efficiency and convenience with the potential erosion of the human touch. It serves as a mirror for spiritual leaders to reflect on the role of AI in their ministries while still presenting a compelling case for the continuous and adaptive integration of AI into the Christian faith.
However, the book does have limitations. Its reflections are based on the state of AI as of 2021, and the technology has advanced significantly since then. The advent and adoption of major new AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney, as well as lesser-known tools such as TheoAssist, DigitalBible, and AdventistGPT (currently being worked on), present new challenges and questions that the book does not fully address. For example, pastors can now use AI tools, such as TheoAssist, to generate sermon content or provide automated responses to congregants’ concerns. But while these tools can make pastoral work more efficient, they also introduce new challenges. What happens to the human-to-human connection, so vital in pastoral ministry, when interactions are mediated or even replaced by AI? What about the work of the Holy Spirit in ministry?
Despite these limitations, The Robot Will See You Now fills a void and makes a substantial contribution to this critical conversation that will only grow in importance as AI continues to evolve. The book’s commitment to upholding human dignity in the face of AI makes it indispensable for pastors. It echoes the sentiment expressed by Robert Song in chapter 7 of the book that our concern should be for human dignity, and we should not fear the upgrading of robots so much as the downgrading of human beings.
As pastors and spiritual leaders, our challenge is to embrace the efficiencies that AI offers while preserving the human connection and personal interaction that are vital to our ministries.
