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What does Artificial Intelligence have to do with God?
At first glance, it may seem that AI and religion are worlds apart. The technology is grounded in algorithms and scientific reasoning, while the other is rooted in faith and a belief in the divine power. Yet, at the same time, both ask some of the same profound questions – about the nature of creation, purpose, and what it means to be human.
This overlap between technology and theology is an area of research studied by Dr Marius Dorobantu, Assistant Professor of Theology and Artificial Intelligence at the Vrije University Amsterdam, where he studies spiritual intelligence, theological anthropology, and the ethical and theological challenges posed by human-level AI.
This topic also resonates deeply in the nonprofit sector. Many NGOs trace their roots to faith-based communities, whose early social services were based on spiritual teachings of charity and justice. While most nonprofits are now secular, their guiding beliefs, such as compassion, service and human dignity, are principles remain grounded in moral and spiritual traditions that continue to shape their missions.
In today’s landscape, nonprofits are increasingly turning to AI to improve how they deliver aid, amplify stories, or understand communities. However, these tools also force organizations to confront questions that go beyond efficiency or innovation, as they touch on meaning, trust, and morality. Exploring AI through the lens of religion and spirituality can help nonprofit specialists recognize the narratives, values, and assumptions embedded in technology, and better discern how to use this technology.
Join us to discuss with Dr Dorobantu some of the various ways in which the domains of AI and religion intertwine. Some of the ideas we would like to discuss are:
- The implicit religious tropes that appear in the language and aspirations of AI developers, creating intelligence ‘in our own image’ to building an artificial superintelligence that could solve all our problems;
- The hopes and fears behind AI narratives, such as dreams of digital immortality, or the belief in inevitable technological progress and even an AI apocalypse;
- The explicit mobilisation of religious narratives by tech leaders to argue against AI regulation;
- How various theological anthropologies explicitly or implicitly inform our attitudes toward AI;
- How theological ideas can help us understand the appeal of generative AI, while also warning against the subtle dangers of automating language and meaning at scale.
You will also have the opportunity to ask Dr Dorobantu your pressing questions related to AI, faith, and the future of identity.
About the speaker
Dr Marius Dorobantu is an Assistant Professor of Theology and Artificial Intelligence at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, as well as an elected fellow of the International Society for Science & Religion. His award-winning doctoral dissertation at the University of Strasbourg, France (2020), explored the potential implications of strong artificial intelligence for theological anthropology. He is the lead editor of the Routledge volume, Perspectives on Spiritual Intelligence (2024). His first monograph, Artificial Intelligence and the Image of God: Are We More than Intelligent Machines? is currently in press with Cambridge University Press.
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