The authors attempt to draw parallels between theological premises with AI -- landing squarely on the heart of Value Sensitive Design (VSD) and Human-Centered AI (HCAI). They aim for their audience to learn to engage with AI in specific ways that contribute to human flourishing, countering dystopian fears of AI replacing humans.
This book serves as a sound primer on AI for non-technical readers. The authors provide extensive background on theological premises, the nature of intelligence, transhumanism, and basic concepts like fact-checking information online. It reminds me of annotated bibliographies from graduate-level history courses: over 30% of the ebook ARC consists of selected references and endnote annotations. While the author has clearly researched the topic and includes a wide array of older, secular references, he quotes Yuval Noah Harari—a figure known for misogynistic, bigoted, and anti-religious views. For less widely-read individuals, this may not be an issue, but it raises questions about why a theologian would include someone whose beliefs contradict the book's goals.
Ultimately, this book is akin to "Omnivore's Dilemma" but with guidelines like: be judicious in your use of AI due to its real-world consequences (e.g., resource consumption altering landscapes) and intellectual/social impacts (e.g., perpetuating biases, affecting attention spans). As they write, "Technology is not neutral. It is value-laden."
They encourage their readers to use AI wisely—such as for translating content—but don't rely on it for creating sermons or songs of praise. Creation of praise is a human act; machines cannot pray. "Worship is something done for God and by humans." Such praise should be "authentic, unassisted, and unsullied by technology." One cannot become a Christian simply through desire or reading—"Christian formation and discipleship require deep rootedness in a faith community."
The authors recommend the following:
- "Lectio Divina" -- Deep reading and reflection, including private prayer and group discussion, to ensure information becomes part of one's inner self.
- Active Interaction with People -- Reclaiming the art of conversation, switching off AI (e.g., social media fasts), and setting routines so homes do not revolve around AI.
- Focal Practices -- Engaging in activities like reading actual books uninterrupted, practicing music, playing sports, creating arts or crafts, or walking in nature.
By seeking tangible, concrete practices, we recenter human experience on the immediate, material world and people—in other words: mindfulness.
Here's the plan that the authors recommend:
- Embodied habits: cooking meals, nature walking, fishing, birding, painting, pottery, knitting, visual arts and crafts at least once a week.
- Place habits to "anchor humans into a particular terra firma" such as gardening and homemaking (which encompasses hospitality, creating a warm welcoming atmosphere).
- Time-bound habits: silent listening, prayer, sitting by a window quietly without devices, planned breaks from devices/social media, and observing the liturgical calendar which "is a richly communal and ecclesial way of engaging in time-bound habits."
- Social habits: taking communion, sharing meals with others (like potlucks), mentoring others.
Overall, choosing intentionally those habits and activities which "rehumanize us against the dehumanizing effects of technology." Even as a non-Christian, I fully support these kinds of recommendations.
"We need to have grown-up conversations in our seminaries and churches to prepare" and "to really understand the technology and to live Christian lives in this new world." Finally - the authors affirm "we remain dedicated to a human-centered perspective, which emphasizes the materiality of creation and the creatureliness (the corporeality or embodiment) of humans." Machines are not people and never will be.
REVIEW: AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep: Leading and Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Sean O'Callaghan
RATING: 3-stars
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