Spring 2024 | Cover Photo and Introductory Note

Ready or not, Artificial Intelligence is now embedded in the life of the world—in healthcare, military strategy, supply chain logistics, media, the arts, personal relationships, and spirituality. Is A.I. a godsend or a threat? To Yale Divinity School, it’s imperative to address A.I.’s power and potential now—the implications for faith, theology, congregations, human destiny—even as technological conditions daily morph and escalate. According to Amara’s Law, “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.” With that in mind, the writers here pursue arguments vital to the broader conversation about the ethical direction of this new force. “Technology is always a tool.,” writes Allen Reynolds ’15 M.Div. “We get to decide how we respond to A.I.” 

Cover image by Julien Tromeur/Unsplash