Artificial Intelligence and Christian Salvation: Compatibility or Competition?

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges to the dignity of the human person today is the development of artificial intelligence (A.I.). Among the most recent advances in technology, artificial intelligence is not only an aid to human endeavors but promises to fulfill human desires and ultimately gain immortal life. Some scholars today note that the fundamental impetus of A.I. is religious in nature—freedom from suffering, relationships of love, and immortal life—and motivates its progress. Indeed, the pursuit of A.I. seems to underlie the search for “techno-salvation,” that is, an attempt to attain perfection and immortality apart from suffering and death. Salvation, according to Christian belief, is centered on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It reflects the notion that the human person is imago Dei and has the capacity for God. Whereas A.I. proponents claim that the divine character of the human person rests in the human mind and thus the mind alone is to be “saved,” Christians maintain that the Word became flesh; thus salvation rests on the expression of love in a human