LOS ANGELES — As worries about artificial intelligence (AI) grow, tech companies are seeking advice from faith leaders on how to navigate this powerful technology. This marks a shift from Silicon Valley’s usual skepticism toward organized religion.
Recently, representatives from different religious groups gathered in New York with tech executives from firms like Anthropic and OpenAI for the first “Faith-AI Covenant” roundtable. This event, organized by the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities, focused on integrating morality and ethics into AI development, addressing issues such as extremism and human trafficking. More roundtables are planned globally, including in Beijing, Nairobi, and Abu Dhabi.
Baroness Joanna Shields, a key figure in this initiative, emphasized the importance of tech leaders recognizing their influence and responsibility. Shields, who has worked in tech at Google and Facebook before entering politics, stated, “Regulation struggles to keep up with this technology. Leaders of the world’s religions have vast experience in guiding moral safety, so they should be part of this conversation.”
The dialogue aims to create a “set of norms or principles” based on insights from various faiths, ranging from Christianity to Buddhism. A diverse group of religious representatives attended the meeting, including those from the Hindu Temple Society of North America and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Some religious groups have already put forward their own ethical guidelines for AI. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for instance, recognized AI as a beneficial educational tool but cautioned that it cannot replace divine inspiration. Similarly, the Southern Baptist Convention urged proactive engagement with emerging technologies to shape their impact on communities.
Creating a unified set of principles, however, poses challenges. Different faiths can prioritize values differently, as Rabbi Diana Gerson noted. The partnership illustrates a growing collaboration between faith and technology aimed at establishing moral AI, a topic that raises many questions.
Anthropic has openly pursued faith engagement. Following a dispute over military uses of AI, they declared they wouldn’t allow their technology to be used for autonomous weapons or mass surveillance. Brian Boyd, a faith liaison for the Future of Life Institute, remarked that tech companies are beginning to recognize their moral obligations.
However, some critics are skeptical about these discussions. Rumman Chowdhury, CEO of Humane Intelligence, believes that relying on religion for ethical guidance on AI may not be the best approach. She argued that Silicon Valley had an unrealistic belief that universal ethical principles could be formed, and is now exploring religion as a way to navigate the complex moral landscape.
There are concerns that focusing on creating ethical tech could distract from more significant issues regarding AI’s presence in society. Dylan Baker, a lead research engineer, stressed the need to question whether we should be developing such technologies in the first place. The balance between advancing AI and ensuring its ethical use remains a crucial conversation moving forward.
