Artificial Intelligence and Human Flourishing in the Everyday World: Reflections from Christian Public Theology

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transitioned from laboratory research to becoming an integral part of everyday life in technologies such as robotics, natural language processing, facial recognition, machine learning, autonomous transportation, and various planning and problem-solving systems. The practical implications of AI in our daily lives are often more pressing than philosophical debates about AI’s potential to exhibit human-like qualities such as reason, creativity, consciousness, or emotional companionship. While these kinds of questions are important, the application of these AI technologies in the everyday world is too many far more important than their ontological nature. The fusion of AI with so many different aspects of the everyday world, where it and other digital technologies become the very environment in which we live and breathe and have our being, raises ethical questions concerning how we use AI wisely to promote human flourishing and care of the wider world. This essay adopts a public theological perspective, incorporating both Christian insights and other viewpoints, to explore AI’s role in big data, surveillance, and the workplace, aiming to support human well-being in the AI era.