Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on Covalence, the online magazine of the Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology.
The ELCA has released a theological foundation document with the aim of expanding the dialogue on the growing implications of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the authors, the document applies current social teachings to provide insights to the church.
While the paper, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ELCA Social Teaching, does not represent new social teaching, it does outline ethical concerns surrounding the transformational technology that has found its way into the business world, congregations, laboratories and, increasingly, daily life.
The paper is not the ELCA’s final teaching but rather the beginning of a conversation, as Lutheran ethicists plan to explore AI further at the group’s meeting in January 2027.
The six-page paper provides a multipronged framework that looks at humanity’s innovation, sin, respect for creation, promotion of societal well-being, social justice concerns and wise discernment of AI’s use. The work comes on the heels of Pope Leo’s first encyclical, released earlier this year, Magnifica Humanitas, which explores the relationship between Catholic social doctrine and the rapid expansion of AI.
“God’s creativity is expressed in both the long-standing structures of nature and the contributions humans may make using the gift of innovation,” the foundation paper reads. “AI is one means, a breathtaking means, of humanity’s power to innovate in ways that may promote the well-being of creation and human society.”
Yet, the paper cautions that the evaluation of AI’s use should include consideration of human rights and the freedoms of individuals, including those in our most vulnerable communities. The inclusion of humans in every application of AI remains important, as does accountability. The paper also touches on the topic of data center buildouts, which have been proliferating as the need for computing power continues to grow amid the increasing use of AI agents and generative AI tools.
The paper concludes, “the ELCA endeavors to limit harm from the use and development of AI even while seeking its potential goods that strive to respect and promote the flourishing of the community of life and its inhabitants.”
