Experts in the tech world say most Americans have no idea what is about to happen all around them. They compare it to going from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance or from an agrarian to an industrial world.
But those migrations took centuries; the AI revolution will only take a year or two.
Nick Skytland of Gloo, a faith-based company that wants to help the Church adapt to and leverage technology as a force for good, says Christians need to be front and center in the conversation.
"There's a huge opportunity … to really shape the future of AI," he tells AFN. "It is a Gutenberg moment, and we don't want to miss this opportunity."
Johaness Gutenberg's invention of the printing press is considered one of the most significant events in the second millennium; it started the Printing Revolution around 1440, led to an explosion of knowledge, arguably paved the way for the Protestant Reformation, and ultimately made the modern world.
Pat Gelsinger, who heads technology at Gloo, recently noted that Christians of that time "embraced that great invention of the day to literally change humanity." He believes technology is neutral, which means it can be shaped into a force for good or evil, and he urges Christians of today to be just as active in utilizing AI.
"Our conviction is that the faith community must be at the table and must help shape this conversation," Skytland says.
Safeguards need to be put in place, and the dignity of humans created in God's image must be preserved as believers consider the many ways AI can help Christians grow spiritually and do discipleship.
Even experts cannot predict all the advances and opportunities of the coming revolution, but Skytland already sees one open door.
"I always say that one of the largest mission fields that exists in the world is nowhere in the physical world," he tells AFN. "It's online. It's in the digital world."
He reiterates that the Church must embrace the technology and use it to bring society closer to God.
