In her article in Financial Times, Rana Foroohar—author of Don’t Be Evil: How Big Tech Betrayed Its Founding Principles—and All of Us—leads a collective reflection on how Christians, particularly Catholics, are responding to the rise of artificial intelligence. Yet the discussion isn’t about the technology itself, but about the believers’ reaction to it. That, in itself, is a bias: the machine isn’t interrogated—only those who fear it are.

Catholics, as Foroohar notes, form the largest voting bloc in the United States. Pope Francis called for AI to be “put at the service of humanity.” The new Pope, Leo XIV, is reportedly preparing his first encyclical on artificial intelligence. Religious think tanks are now examining how AI affects family, labour, and faith. There are calls to regulate AI use among children and even restrict “AI companions.”

But the deeper question remains unasked: Does faith itself change when the machine begins to speak?

We find a hint of the answer, as well as a warning, in the words of Dr Ximian Simeon, a divinity researcher. “Theologians must confront the ethical consequences of AI on religious practice, because AI redefines moral agency itself.” Yet in religious thought, moral responsibility is not just about decision-making—it’s about understanding consequences. Machines don’t feel guilt. They don’t repent. They don’t fear judgment. Can they be treated as moral agents? This is where the fracture........

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