ChatGPT: Coming to a church near you?
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At a recent Protestant convention in Germany an entire church service – liturgy, prayers, psalms, and sermon – was written and delivered by AI software. Around the world ministers and Christian techies are experimenting with tools such as ChatGPT to see what the latest technology can do when prompted to create materials for worship services. What impact could AI have on church? Will pastors begin using these programs to write their sermons en masse? Is ChatGPT just another computer tool we should readily adopt to simplify and streamline ministry, or something more concerning? Can an AI really expound scripture faithfully or lead spiritually meaningful prayers? And will congregations accept the intrusion of non-human elements into worship services anyway?
Guests this week:
- Chris Goswami, Baptist minister, chaplain, and 30-year veteran of the tech industry
- Adam Graber, theologian, podcaster and writer on emerging technologies and spirituality
Read more about the AI service in Germany here: https://apnews.com/article/germany-church-protestants-chatgpt-ai-sermon-651f21c24cfb47e3122e987a7263d348
Chris wrote a piece explaining ChatGPT and its Christian implications for Premier Christianity earlier this year: https://www.premierchristianity.com/culture/chat-gpt-the-biggest-leap-forward-in-ai-is-changing-everything-heres-what-it-means-for-your-church/14938.article
Released on 7 Aug 2023
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