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<p>This paper examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-mediated pastoral care and pastoral psychology within pastoral ministry. Growing interest surrounds AI’s role in mental health support, spiritual formation, and therapeutic relationships. While AI demonstrates a capacity for rapid response, it raises fundamental questions about the nature of therapeutic presence. Employing a desktop qualitative approach, this study utilizes the digital <i>imago dei</i> as a conceptual framework to explore what constitutes genuinely therapeutic empathy in pastoral contexts. The findings indicate that although AI aids in building a digital church (e-megachurches), questions exist about its capacity to provide the core pastoral conditions of empathy, effective counseling, and unconditional positive regard. The paper concludes by highlighting risks to attachment, transference, and faith development while proposing hybrid care models that preserve the relational core of pastoral ministry. It introduces the concept of an algorithmic empathy deficit and contributes to digital pastoral psychology by bridging theological anthropology with clinical insights, offering practical hybrid frameworks for ethical AI integration.</p>

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Algorithmic Empathy: Assessing AI’s Capacity for Presence in Pastoral Care

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月1日

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  • Nomatter Sande

摘要

This paper examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-mediated pastoral care and pastoral psychology within pastoral ministry. Growing interest surrounds AI’s role in mental health support, spiritual formation, and therapeutic relationships. While AI demonstrates a capacity for rapid response, it raises fundamental questions about the nature of therapeutic presence. Employing a desktop qualitative approach, this study utilizes the digital imago dei as a conceptual framework to explore what constitutes genuinely therapeutic empathy in pastoral contexts. The findings indicate that although AI aids in building a digital church (e-megachurches), questions exist about its capacity to provide the core pastoral conditions of empathy, effective counseling, and unconditional positive regard. The paper concludes by highlighting risks to attachment, transference, and faith development while proposing hybrid care models that preserve the relational core of pastoral ministry. It introduces the concept of an algorithmic empathy deficit and contributes to digital pastoral psychology by bridging theological anthropology with clinical insights, offering practical hybrid frameworks for ethical AI integration.