I saw an interesting seminar a few weeks back talking about the ethics of using artificial intelligence to write a sermon. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the seminar, but I did laugh. Frankly, I thought it was a bit absurd to think that artificial intelligence could ever write a sermon like a pastor.
Ministers spend years studying the Bible and even more time with people. All of the knowledge contained in books doesn’t come close to the knowledge one gains from interacting with individuals. Each moment spent with people in their times of joy and sadness informs every word written in a sermon. Yet, even more than biblical and practical knowledge, I feel the spirit comes into a sermon. You should feel God’s presence in every moment and every word.
I went on the Al website that the seminar was talking about, Chat GPT. I was surprised. I typed in the prompt, “Write a sermon about artificial intelligence based on Romans 1:21-23 and Genesis 1:26,” and the result was surprisingly good. As I read the Al’s short sermon, I found myself unable to tell the difference between the artificially—generated sermon and many sermons I have heard humans preach before.
At first, I thought it was ludicrous to think that any minister could possibly use a sermon written by artificial intelligence without everyone in the congregation immediately knowing it was written by a robot. I assumed that the sermon would be so riddled with inconsistencies and errors that it would be impossible to follow. However, after seeing what this artificial intelligence could produce, I was left unsure. I needed more answers.
This Sunday, April 2, I will hand out two printed copies of two short sermons focusing on the same topic or you can find them by clicking the link on the bottom of this article. One is the sermon written by Al and the other is written by me. The goal is for you to choose which one is which. Then the Sunday after Easter, April 16, we will focus on artificial intelligence and faith, looking not only at how technology affects our spirit but how it affects our lives .