AI, Faith and Being Human: A One Day Mini Conference
This Conference is open to the public.
AI is the buzzword of the moment, and for good reason. AI and related technologies raise lots of questions about what it means to be human, raise our kids, and practice our faith. Join us for a one-day mini-conference as we explore these questions. This conference is co-sponsored by The Episcopal Diocese of RI and Christ Church, Westerly.
At Christ Church, “Doubts are ok, questions are welcome, come as you are.”
parishadmin@christchurchwesterly.org 401-596-0197 christchurchwesterly.org
Lineup
The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Knisely
The Rev. Dr. Michael W. Delashmutt PhD
Jennifer Herdt PhD
Scott Lyon
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Highlights
- 5 hours
- In person
- Free parking
Refund Policy
Location
Christ Episcopal Church
7 Elm Street
Westerly, RI 02891
How do you want to get there?
Agenda
Social De-Skilling through Conversational AI
Predictive and generative AI have already been the source of remarkable breakthroughs, with many more doubtless on the way, from cancer diagnosis to the design of new medical treatments to new techniques for wildlife monitoring and climate modeling. We should rejoice at the possibilities that flow from the detection of patterns in vast quantities of data. At the same time, we should be concerned about the ways in which rapidly rising rates of engagement with conversational AI, particularly by young people, are exacerbating loneliness and leading to the erosion of key social-moral skills. This workshop will discuss these concerning trends and seek to distinguish them from more benign uses of chatbots, within a theological reflection on our call to communion. Presenter: Jennifer Herdt PhD is Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professor of Christian Ethics at Yale Divinity School. She is the author of several books, including: The Great Wheel of Being: Ethics Beyond the Human.
Tending and Toil: Work, Worth, and What AI Is For
Long before work became a problem to be managed, it was a calling to be received. In the Garden of Eden, humanity is placed there "to till and to keep" the earth. Only later does work become marked by the sweat of the brow. We have always lived in the tension between work as vocation and work as toil. Today, as artificial intelligence promises to remove drudgery, many rightly wonder whether it might also diminish our sense of purpose. Beneath our questions about jobs and automation lies a deeper one. If a machine can do my work, what was my work doing for me? This workshop turns to Scripture's rich account of labor and to the Church's long tradition of teaching on the dignity of work. Together, we'll explore what it means to be makers in the image of a Maker and consider what human work is ultimately for in an age of increasingly intelligent machines. Presenter: The Rev. Michael W. Delashmutt PhD is Senior Vice President, Dean of Chapel, and Associate Professor of
Relationship, Not Résumés: The Church in the Age of AI
As artificial intelligence reshapes our work, our knowledge, and our relationships over the coming decade, the church's question is not how capable these machines will become but who we are becoming alongside them. The market measures us by output and efficiency and by our résumés. The gospel measures us by communion and by relationship. This talk offers an honest, hype-free map of where AI (and quantum computing) actually stand and where they are likely headed in the next decade, then turns to what only a faith community can name: that formation requires the very friction AI is built to remove, that presence and attention are spiritual goods no companion-app can supply, and that the slow communion of saints is the one thing we must refuse to outsource. The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Knisely is the 13th Bishop of Rhode Island. He serves on The Episcopal Church’s AI Task Force and is a member of the Society of Ordained Scientists. He is the author of several books including, Lent is Not Rock.