Artificial intelligence in the church: blessing or curse for pastoral care?

Artificial intelligence in the church: blessing or curse for pastoral care?

The Catholic Church in Germany deals with the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), especially in pastoral care. This became clear during the visit of Bishop Klaus Krämer of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in Heilbronn, an emerging center for AI technologies. According to SWR Krämer calls for a sensational handling with AI. He emphasizes that interpersonal closeness and spiritual depth in pastoral care cannot be replaced. While Pastor Lukas Biermayer from Bad Rappenau does not use the use of AI to make sermons as sensible, he sees a certain potential in the administration of the church, especially to optimize financial flows.

The debate about the use of AI in the church shows various perspectives: While the technology is regarded as supportive in the administration, many theologians fear that human contact could be lost. evangelisch.de already emphasizes that the Evangelical Church is already taking the first step in this direction, as the introduction From blessing robots and a Luther-Avatar. However, the use of AI is mixed up: positive experiences are less pleasing to concern that human pastoral care could be replaced.

potential and challenges

Bishop Krämer also sees uses of AI in therapeutic areas, such as in nursing and medical diagnostics, which further stimulates the discussion about the use of technologies in the church. The Evangelical Church is currently testing AI language models such as chatt to facilitate repetitive tasks, but without introducing fully automated systems for pastoral discussions. There were also concerns about data protection and privacy in pastoral care, since confidential conversations could potentially be recorded.

Regardless of the concerns, the Church aims to use AI in such a way that it reflects the values ​​of charity, empathy and justice. Bishop Krämer's colleague has announced that the first AI guidelines for the diocese should be published in early summer in order to deal with ethical questions and the responsible use of sensitive data.

ethical discussions and social dialogue

The political and social implications of AI use in religious contexts are considerable. In a further look at the topic ki-echo that Ki is also used for analysis of religious texts and for the creation of personalized learning opportunities in religious education can. This raises questions about ethical aspects: How do you deal with the interpretation of sacred writings through machines? There are also fears of dehumanization of religious experiences and possible surveillance by intelligent systems.

Overall, it shows that AI carries both opportunities and risks for the church. The implementation must be carefully thought out in order to keep people in the center and to meet ethical standards. The dialogue about the positive aspects and the limits of AI in religion will continue to be of crucial importance in the future.