EGN NEWS DESK
(CP) Practising Christians and Scripture-engaged believers are extra skeptical of synthetic intelligence than the American public as a complete, in keeping with a brand new survey.
The American Bible Society launched the second installment of its State of the Bible USA 2024 report on Thursday. The second chapter, “Faith and Technology,” examined respondents’ views about synthetic intelligence and its position of their religion. Data within the survey relies on responses collected from 2,506 adults between Jan. 4–23, with a margin of error of +/-2.73 proportion factors.
American Bible Society Chief Program Officer and State of the Bible Editor-in-Chief John Farquhar Plake summarized the outcomes: “Americans are extra fearful than hopeful about Artificial Intelligence. Our survey additionally reveals an excessive amount of uncertainty.
“People simply do not understand how AI will change the tradition, however they’re mildly uneasy about it,” he added.
“And how do individuals of religion really feel? The identical method — unsure, uneasy — however extra so. Practising Christians and people who interact with Scripture are much more involved about AI than most people, extra prone to say the dangerous outcomes of AI will outweigh the great. The best uncertainty is on the intersection of religion and AI.”
Majorities of Americans disagreed that “synthetic intelligence can help in ethical reasoning” (58%), that “using synthetic intelligence can improve my non secular practices and promote ‘non secular well being'” (68%), and that “synthetic intelligence can produce as effectively written of a sermon as a pastor, priest or minister” (57%). On the opposite hand, a majority of Americans (51%) agreed that “a rise in unemployment will end result from using synthetic intelligence.”
Respondents have been extra divided on whether or not “using AI goes in opposition to biblical educating,” with 40% apiece indicating that they agreed with the assertion and expressed uncertainty about it. Similarly, 37% of these surveyed disagreed that they have been “optimistic in regards to the future advantages of utilizing synthetic intelligence in our world,” whereas one other 37% stated they have been unsure in regards to the future advantages of AI.
Pluralities of respondents have been unsure about whether or not “the dangerous that will end result from using AI outweighs any constructive impacts that could be produced” (39%) and agreed that they might “look unfavorably at a pastor or priest utilizing AI to develop sermons or homilies.”
When wanting on the views of “Scripture-engaged” respondents in comparison with Americans as a complete, the survey revealed that scripture-engaged Americans are barely extra involved about synthetic intelligence than their friends.
The report outlined “scripture engaged” respondents as those that rating 100 or greater on the “Scripture Engagement Scale” that measures the “influence and centrality” of the Bible’s message on those that interact with Scripture a minimum of three to 4 instances a 12 months outdoors of church and church occasions primarily based on their responses to 14 survey objects.
On a scale of 1 to five, with a 5 indicating sturdy settlement with an announcement and a 1 illustrating a powerful disagreement with it, respondents total had a mean rating of two.8 in response to the declaration that “I’m optimistic in regards to the future advantages of utilizing synthetic intelligence in our world,” whereas the typical rating dropped to 2.5 amongst Scripture-engaged believers.
Regarding the assertion that “Artificial intelligence can help in ethical reasoning,” respondents total had a mean rating of two.3 in comparison with 2.0 among the many scripture engaged.
Scripture-engaged respondents had a mean settlement stage of 1.8 when it got here to the assertion sustaining that “using synthetic intelligence can improve my non secular practices and promote ‘non secular well being,'” which was barely decrease than the general common settlement stage of two.0. The common settlement stage among the many Scripture-engaged that “synthetic intelligence can produce as effectively written of a sermon as a pastor, priest, or minister” (1.9) was decrease than the typical settlement stage among the many public as a complete (2.3).
Similarly, Scripture-engaged respondents have been extra probably than their friends to specific settlement with damaging statements about synthetic intelligence. The Scripture engaged had a mean settlement rating of three.1 concerning the assumption that “using AI goes in opposition to biblical educating” versus 2.7 among the many public as a complete. The Scripture engaged have been additionally extra prone to agree that “the dangerous that will end result from AI outweighs any constructive impacts that could be produced” (3.4) than the total pattern (3.1).
A bigger share of the Scripture engaged (3.7) believed that “a rise in unemployment will end result from using synthetic intelligence” than the American public as a complete (3.5). The common settlement that “I’d look unfavorably at a pastor or priest utilizing AI to develop sermons or homilies” was greater among the many Scripture engaged (3.5) than the total pattern (3.1).
The survey additionally revealed differing beliefs about synthetic intelligence between non-Christians, non-practising Christians and practising Christians. Non-Christians and non-practising Christians shared a mean settlement stage of two.8 concerning optimism about “future advantages” of AI, coming in barely forward of the typical settlement stage amongst practising Christians (2.6).
Non-practising Christians and non-Christians additionally shared the identical common stage of settlement (2.3) that AI can “help in ethical reasoning,” whereas settlement was barely decrease amongst practising Christians (2.0). Non-practising Christians had the best common stage of settlement (2.1) that AI can improve “non secular practices and promote ‘non secular well being,'” adopted by non-Christians (2.0) and practising Christians (1.8).
On the opposite hand, non-Christians have been extra prone to agree (2.6) that AI can “produce as well-written a sermon as a Pastor, Priest, or Minister” than non-practising Christians (2.3) and practising Christians (1.9). Practising Christians had a better common stage of settlement that “using AI goes in opposition to biblical educating” (3.0) than non-practising Christians (2.8) and non-Christians (2.3).
Practising Christians have been additionally extra prone to assume the dangerous outweighs the great with regards to AI (3.4) than non-practising Christians (3.1) and non-Christians (2.9). The common stage of settlement that AI would result in elevated unemployment was highest amongst practising Christians (3.7), adopted by non-practising Christians (3.5) and non-Christians (3.3).
The next stage of disgust on the thought of a priest utilizing AI to develop sermons was registered amongst practising Christians (3.5) than non-practising Christians (3.1) and non-Christians (3.0).
© The Christian Post
