In the early days of 2020, Union Theological Seminary hosted an unprecedented conference on a topic that was just beginning to break into the mainstream: artificial intelligence.
The seminary worked with Riverside Church, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and The Greater Good Initiative to convene top faith leaders, academics, and other experts to explore the implications of AI for ethics and religion.
Back then, the conference was quite revolutionary. Most people didn’t think about AI in their day-to-day lives, let alone in their faith communities. The conference encouraged attendees to ponder a world that was difficult to conceive at the time.
But then, the unthinkable happened. The pandemic hit, and virtual tools exploded. Today, AI technology is accelerating at a lightning-fast pace. It’s being used in schools, the media, businesses, and more.
Isaac Sharp, an expert on this topic, is alarmed by this fast growth – and encourages caution. He graduated from Union Theological Seminary in 2019 with a PhD in social ethics and now serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Theological Studies Director, Online & Part-Time Programs. He attended Union’s 2020 convening, taught two courses on AI at the seminary, and has spoken at multiple conferences on the issue.
He’s deeply concerned about the “potential for these systems to enable and facilitate all of our worst impulses as humans in society, to exacerbate existing inequalities, and to be used as shortcuts for critical thinking.”
According to Sharp, many of the conversations about AI have centered its future possibilities, like achieving superintelligence, or even personhood. But the focus should be on the present. He explained, “There are so many more pressing ethical questions that already exist around the adoption and implementation of these narrower AI systems,” like gender and racial bias, climate impact, privacy, election interference, the spread of misinformation, and the subversion of democracy.
He compared the growth of AI to the surge of social media years before. Platforms exploded without “careful, regulatory or ethical reflection about their potential.” And while they have produced some good, these platforms have also caused significant harm by fueling misinformation, increasing political polarization, exacerbating mental health issues, and more. Without change, AI will similarly unleash a cascade of damage.
For Sharp, Union has an important role to play in helping AI be used ethically. Since its founding, the seminary has aimed to train students to consider the social justice implications of pressing issues – and apply this skillset in their communities once they graduate.
Sharp shared, “We’re in an AI hype cycle right now… My hope would be that Union students in particular will be able to be prophetic voices in their respective fields that they go into and say, ‘The adoption of these technologies have social ethical implications that other folks may not be considering, like racial and economic injustice.’”
Sharp spoke fondly of the courses he has taught thus far. The first course, for example, was open to alumni auditors. About half of the students ended up being alums from across generations, going back to the 1960s and 70s. Sharp shared, “It was a really cool experience for Union alums who remain interested in social justice questions and how they are evolving with contemporary issues to engage with current Union students.”
Looking ahead, Sharp is encouraged that Union will remain at the forefront of discussions about AI, faith, and social justice. Union is well-positioned to help create a future that uses AI as ethically and justly as possible.