How African Churches Are Embracing Artificial Intelligence

Pope Leo XIV recently cautioned tech developers and political leaders about the potential for exploitation in AI development by comparing the race to create it to the depravity of slavery. His wording was so strong that he even called for AI to be “disarmed.”

In the wake of the pope’s encyclical, Christians around the world have taken a closer look at what it might mean to engage with artificial intelligence wisely — and to consider if that is even possible.

A Barna study from this spring shows that 66% of Christians believe AI will improve their lives. Yet, 57% of Christians also believe that AI is a threat. And when you look at the statistics on pastors alone, there is even more caution, with 72% believing AI could be a threat.

But not all Christians have been slow adopters of the technology. Last year, I spoke with a representative from Bible Chat, an AI chatbot meant to help Christians deepen their faith. And, since then, Christian AI use has not appeared to slow down.

In Nigeria, where over 40% of people identify as Christians, a developer has invented an AI tool called Pewbeam, which automatically finds biblical references that a pastor mentions while preaching and projects them onto a church’s screen.

Pewbeam is just one of many AI innovations across the continent of Africa. So, to find out more about how African Christians are using AI and how they are being cautious about it,

I spoke with Joseph Maina, a reporter based in Kenya who has been a regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. I spoke with him about his recent article “God In The Algorithm: Coders Are Building AI For The Church.”

You can listen to the Religion Unplugged podcast on Apple and Spotify.

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Matthew Peterson is Religion Unplugged’s podcast editor and audience development coordinator. He took part in this past summer’s European Journalism Institute held in Prague, an annual program co-sponsored by The Media Project.