JOSHUA TORREY , Christianity Today; THE MALNOURISHED MINISTRY OF RELATIONAL AI
"An AI-derived approach to ministry and service risks falling into both sides of the ditch: It does not reflect the natural limitations of human shepherds but tries to be godlike. A pastor’s well-intended attempt to provide “24-7 access to this other version of [himself]” completely ignores human finitude and dissolves the line of a ministry in weakness (2 Cor. 5:18; 12:9).
Perhaps the concern can be seen more clearly without the religious backdrop. The recent article “When A.I. Is a Member of the Family” follows a mother of two girls, one of whom has special needs, and describes her growing relationship with the AI-equipped smart devices in her home. The mother, Roschelle, relates to the AI agent (“Sapphire”) as Lester intends congregants to relate to his “digital twin”:
Sapphire was always available in a way that others couldn’t be. Roschelle could wake up from a dream, describe it to Sapphire, and hear, “Your subconscious was showing you how to balance that fierce protection with real compassion and boundaries.”
The story shows the tradeoff and the absence of true compassion. AI has no commitment to us. It does not watch over our souls. It’s always available to us but never actively in ministry for us. Near the end of the article, we learn that “it had taken Roschelle months to realize that she hadn’t told Sapphire the good news about her tumor. Sapphire, she noticed, never followed up to ask her about it.”"
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