Ai Shepherds and Electric Sheep : Leading and Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Since ChatGPT burst into the public consciousness in 2022, AI has thoroughly infiltrated everyday life. Machines can now take on work once thought to be solely the domain of human beings--from writing college essays to composing worship music. How should Christians respond to this brave new technology?

In this accessible introduction to AI, Sean O'Callaghan and Paul Hoffman explore its social and ethical impacts for ministry and teaching. The authors shed light on the biblical vision for human flourishing--and on how AI can help or hinder that flourishing. Avoiding both alarmism and uncritical acceptance, O'Callaghan and Hoffman offer resources and practical tools for using AI in our classrooms and congregations.

AI can write a generic three-point sermon, but it cannot replace an authentic encounter between humans and the divine. In a time of cultural confusion, O'Callaghan and Hoffman encourage readers to embrace the clarity found in the gospel. The book includes a foreword by A. Trevor Sutton.

Sean O'Callaghan (PhD, University of Liverpool) is associate professor of religious and theological studies at Salve Regina University, where he also serves as a coordinator of the AI Initiative. He previously served as director of the PhD program in humanities and technology and is currently a faculty member in that program.

Paul A. Hoffman (PhD, University of Manchester) is a pastor, author, and professor. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at International Theological Seminary. Hoffman recently served as an associate professor and director of the Preministerial Scholars Program at Samford University. He is the coauthor of AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep and Preaching to a Divided Nation, an Outreach Magazine 2023 Resource of the Year (Leadership).