Expert Comment: Faith meets code - the growing role of theology for AI ethics
Dr Lyndon Drake, Research Fellow in AI at the Faculty of Theology and Religion, and Dr Caroline Emmer de Albuquerque Green, Director of Research at the Institute for Ethics in AI, argue that as AI raises fundamental questions about human identity, meaning, and ethics, the question is no longer whether theology has a place in the conversation, but whether we can afford to exclude it.
In March 2026, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama met researchers from the University of Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI. Asked how AI might benefit humanity, he said: ‘Although these [AI systems] may have many functions, ultimately it depends on the human mind. Therefore, no matter how sophisticated they become, they cannot keep up with the pace of the human mind… my own thoughts are changing moment by moment.’
That a major spiritual leader is weighing in on artificial intelligence may seem unexpected. It should not. As the rapid development and growing role of AI raises fundamental questions about human identity, meaning, and ethics, religious traditions are increasingly important to how societies understand and govern this technology. The question is no longer whether theology has a place in this conversation, but whether we can afford to exclude it.
“Although these [AI systems] may have many functions, ultimately it depends on the human mind. Therefore, no matter how sophisticated they become, they cannot keep up with the pace of the human mind… my own thoughts are changing moment by moment.”
Why religions have something to say about AI
The rapid rise of generative AI — systems that show competency in domains such as language and art long seen as distinctively human — has prompted existential questions and even predictions of world-ending risks. Questions such as ‘what does it mean to be human in the age of AI?’ or ‘is there such a thing as ethical AI?’ are on the minds of many people grappling with how this technology is changing everyday life.
In the context of such questions, people often turn to faith and religious leaders for meaning and ethical norms. As most of the world’s population is religious, and as people increasingly turn to AI to answer everyday questions, they may also begin to use it to explore spiritual or religious concerns. It is therefore no surprise to see growing interest from religious institutions in AI developments, each with its own set of views.
Theological development over centuries has produced a rich tradition of thinking about what it means to be human, and what constitutes good outcomes for humanity. Translating such thinking onto one of the most pressing ethical issues of our time makes sense. Beyond that, theology has substantive contributions to offer on issues such as language and meaning — areas where the assumptions embedded in AI systems are rarely made explicit.
“Theology has substantive contributions to offer on issues such as language and meaning — areas where the assumptions embedded in AI systems are rarely made explicit.”
Different traditions, complementary angles
Different religious traditions are beginning to articulate their own approaches to AI, often rooted in longstanding ideas about human dignity, consciousness, and the common good.
The Dalai Lama’s statement offers a humanistic approach, highlighting his belief that there is something fundamentally unique about the human mind that no technology will be able to replicate fully. At the Civic AI Conference organised by the Institute for Ethics in AI in March 2026, Buddhist monk and scholar Dr Geshe Lobsang Monlam developed this perspective further, emphasising that the Buddhist approach to AI ethics focuses on integrating wisdom, compassion, and causal logic — including eliminating AI hallucinations through criteria of valid reasoning, and ensuring AI systems are considerate of the broader ecosystem in which they operate. In his words: ‘AI must not act unless it can prove the absence of harm through non-observation of negative causes.’
The Vatican too has been actively shaping the discourse on AI ethics, advocating for technology to be developed and used for the common good and around values such as human dignity. While the Dalai Lama emphasises the limits of AI compared to human consciousness, the Vatican focuses on governance and human dignity — together illustrating how religious traditions approach AI from different but complementary angles.
“The question is no longer whether theology has a place in this conversation, but whether we can afford to exclude it.”
Risks and real challenges
There are genuine risks and challenges associated with religious involvement in AI ethics. Religious leaders may not have the necessary technological expertise. More fundamentally, religions are as different from each other as they are from the secular world: just because many traditions are addressing AI does not mean they share the same goals or modes of reasoning. This has real implications for AI governance in pluralistic societies, where theological and secular approaches to ethics must be carefully navigated.
There is also a challenge in translation. Differences in ways of reasoning are often not well understood by technologists working on AI — and yet there is a genuine desire among many developers for clarity around ethical and theological approaches. At the same time, to impose a bland uniformity on people who differ substantially in their moral reasoning is likely to fail. The diversity of religious and secular views is not a problem to be resolved but a reality to be surfaced.
Opportunities arise where identifiable commonalities exist between religious traditions and secular thought. But these commonalities must be found rather than assumed.
Bridging theology and AI practice
Recognising these challenges, the Oxford Collaboration on Theology and Artificial Intelligence (OCTAI) brings together business leaders, AI engineers, and academics, with the aim of addressing the vocational realities of those building and deploying AI.
OCTAI has produced the ‘Oxford Oath for AI Practitioners’: a theologically informed ethos intended for a broadly pluralist and secular audience, offering an orientation for moral deliberation by scientists, engineers, and industry leaders advancing AI science and developing AI products. The Oath identifies humans and their interests as normatively more important than those of AI — a position that stems from a common element across many religious traditions: an orientation towards the common good of humanity.
The Oxford Oath invites widespread engagement and feedback, as a contribution offered in the hope that it can be of practical use.
Researchers at the University of Oxford’s Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities are continuing this work — harnessing the potential of theology for AI ethics and tackling the tough questions that come with religious involvement in this debate. As AI systems become more embedded in everyday life, that work grows more urgent.
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