Newsmakers

Is artificial intelligence (AI) ethical? That's the question secular and Christian leaders alike are contending with as technology quickly evolves. Andre Echevarria, leader of U.S. digital strategies at Cru, a large Christian ministry formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ, is among those contending with how to use AI. Rather than shun the burgeoning tech, he believes it's a tool that can be used to spread the Gospel. Echevarria offered up an intriguing response when asked if AI is moral.

"Rather than debating that part, I would say, 'Can we redeem it for the glory of God?'" he said. "And that's actually what we're doing here. We're using a lot of that technology to be able to actually help people discover a relationship with Jesus, go deeper in their relationship with Jesus, or maybe even share their current relationship with Jesus with their neighbors." He said the ethics of the matter really depends on a key factor: how people choose to use AI. Echevarria said Cru is using AI and other tools in virtual and online spaces to help bring people closer to God.

"So let's say that our friend here has certain characteristics, like maybe they like certain brands and certain types of posts," he explained. "So, we're able to use AI to find more people like her and then be able to put our offers and messages of hope in front of them. So we're using the AI built into some of our advertising platforms to be able to find more people that we can actually share the gospel with." Echevarria said they're also using the technology to help equip people and let them know, based on certain "aptitudes," about available resources to help them share their faith with neighbors. "And whether that resource is in a certain language or certain context ... we're able to actually provide that for you," he said. "So, we're using AI in a lot of different spaces like this to ... help us be able to contextualize a lot of this."

Echevarria is fully aware of the critiques and worries surrounding AI, but warned of what could happen if Christians decide to fully disengage or ignore it. "We just lose an opportunity," he said. "We should take every opportunity to share ... the eternal hope we have. And we just miss an opportunity." He tries to encourage people to see AI as an "advanced intern" — a useful tool that can help make tasks easier, not totally overtake people's processes. "In turn, you obviously wouldn't let [an intern] run your radio show daily, right?" he said. "You'd have them maybe do some research and maybe bring up some topics, ideas, and some things that you can then fine-tune for the effort and the outcome that you want for the show." Hear him explain.