A Danforth Dialogue: Is AI Good for Religion?

As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes how we work, communicate, learn, and create, religious communities are grappling with a fundamental question: Is AI good for religion? How might emerging technologies influence faith, community, and our understanding of spiritual formation.

Join the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics’ online journal, ARC: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera for its 2026-2027 inaugural Danforth Dialogue Forum featuring leading thinkers from across various disciplines as they explore the challenges and ethical implications of artificial intelligence for religious life.

This forum will feature presentations from distinguished scholars and writers followed by a panel discussion examining how faith communities are responding to technological change and what religious traditions can contribute to conversations about AI’s role in society.

Featured speakers include:

Andy Crouch, Partner for theology and culture at Praxis and author of The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World. He is a former Protestant campus minister at Harvard.

Leah Sargeant, author of The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto and Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name.

Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld, Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute and Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, an online database and interface for Jewish texts.

Mark Oppenheimer (moderator), editor of Arc: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera, the journal of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.

The program will consist of presentations by each speaker, followed by a moderated panel discussion and audience engagement. A reception will follow, offering attendees an opportunity to continue the conversation and connect with fellow participants.

Location: George Washington University, Elliott School
1957 E St. NW, Washington, DC

This event will be recorded and shared through the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics and Arc: Religion, Politics, Et Ceterawebsites and social media channels.

Registration information will be available at rap.washu.edu and arcmag.org. Walk-in attendees are also welcome.

Join us as we consider how religious traditions can help shape the future of technology and what artificial intelligence may mean for the future of faith.