Illustration by Timo Kuilder
Theological schools across North America are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used and its influence on the future of the field.
In November, the Association of Theological Schools, the In Trust Center, and Atla co-hosted an online conference designed to prime the discussion about artificial intelligence in theological education.
The event drew more than 200 people and included several interactive sessions that covered onging work by scholars and practitioners while also looking to the future.
Patricia Maloney, who spent her career in the aerospace, defense and energy industries, serves on the boards of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the In Trust Center, noted that considering the big issues around AI and humanity “is what theological education is called for.”
“I’m excited that theological education can put a stamp on something like this,” she said.
While significant conversation in higher education has focused on plagiarism and cheating enabled by AI, the conference focused on the framework of AI and its potential usefulness. Examples included schools doing work with AI, such as Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia, which is running a class generated by AI.
Julian Gonzalez Holguin, a scholar at Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California, said AI leads to several questions. “What does it mean that we’re human?” he asked. “How do we understand community in an age of artificial intelligence? Those are important questions in understanding our work in theology.”
Michael Hanegan, a professor and author of an upcoming book on AI and libraries, noted that while there are concerns about AI, the question was how to engage it.
“We can be prophets pushing people ahead to new possibilities or priests preserving traditions,” he said.
The event is part of a broader series of conversations now being planned by ATS, the In Trust Center, and Atla entitled F[AI]thfully Co-Creating: Navigating Artificial Intelligence and Theological Education. The event designers used the chat function on the Zoom meeting to provide a robust discussion, which included people sharing. Organizers wanted to create connections and a platform for discussion so theological educators could engage with AI and shape its use while it was still in a relatively early phase. They’re planning more events in 2025.
Ruth McGillivray, executive vice president of Northwest Seminary & College in British Columbia, has worked in innovative programs for years and offered her advice.
“You don’t want the cat to get too far out of the bag,” she said, “or you’re never going to get it back.”
More information can be found at: atla.com