AI and Online Evangelism

It is hard to read the news and not hear something about the advancements and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on our world. What started as help with answering questions or writing something has quickly evolved into cloning voices, creating art, and producing video based on a few words.

The most ubiquitous application for AI in many of our lives is the ever-present chat bot. The box in the corner of so many web sites offering to help answer your question.  Some of these chat bots are built to process large amounts of data and are becoming increasingly better at supplying the information needed for answering a narrow set of questions.

The inevitable question is whether AI can do this for people with faith related questions and become the ultimate digital evangelist. The reality is some ministries have already decided the answer to that question is “yes” and they have started using chat bots with automated responses and logic to interact with those seeking answers to life and faith questions.  We have seen how this can frustrate seekers and lacks the most basic form of human connection that is only achieved through some form of presence.

We believe AI has a place in online evangelism, but it should not be utilized for the live conversation with someone seeking answers and struggling to know, trust and obey Jesus. Many people come online seeking answers but what they find most compelling is human interaction and connection. We can debate different religions or interpretations, but we don’t typically do that with someone’s experience or story.

Live conversation is best between two people created in God’s image connecting at a deeper level. Artificial Intelligence has no soul, no testimony, and does not connect in the way that two people created by God for relationship can come together.

However, we do see opportunities for AI to help us become better evangelists. We believe the first application for AI in online evangelism is as a quality improvement tool.  AI allows a large number of diverse conversations to be reviewed across multiple categories including quality of Gospel presentation, the depth of faith of the seeker, and adherence to ministry policies and procedures. Conversations can be scored on several metrics and responders that may need more coaching or encouragement can be quickly identified. It can also identify emerging topics and trends becoming a valuable member of your training and response development team.

Another application is as more of an assistant to your responders having live conversation. It is exciting to think how AI might supply various information that a responder decides how and whether to use during a conversation. AI could use the nature of the topic, or specific lines of conversation, to make different resources available for the responder to share at their discretion.  For instance, a person struggling with a drug addiction in a certain geographic location might trigger AI to show a list of Christian organizations in that location that offer services for this particular struggle and need.

The recent stories of AI hallucinating and making things up have been troublesome. The cases where it has responded with claims of having feelings and knowing what is best for humanity are even more perilous. There is no doubt technology can make our lives easier when used properly. However, the wrong uses can also bring an assortment of risks and hazards.

We pray you will be cautious and wise when considering how to use AI in your ministry. And when you consider the precious opportunity to meet a lost soul, and share the Gospel in a live conversation, that you realize that there is no substitute for the voice and story of a transformed believer connecting through the power of the Holy Spirit.