Technology firms consult religious leaders to shape AI ethics

Technology companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Microsoft are increasingly turning to religious figures, philosophers, and clergy to inform the development of artificial intelligence. By seeking input from diverse faith-based groups, executives hope to build models that reflect a consensus of human moral values, aiming to mitigate concerns regarding AI’s potential for harm.

However, scholars argue that treating religion as a extractable set of rules is conceptually flawed. University of Michigan anthropologist Webb Keane points out that religion is intrinsically tied to culture, ritual, and lived human relationships rather than being a standalone system of ethical codes. This reductionist view, experts warn, risks marginalizing non-Abrahamic traditions that do not prioritize prescriptive doctrine.

Additionally, researchers highlight that the categorization of world religions is a relatively modern academic construct, which may not align with how these traditions are practiced globally. Critics suggest that attempting to digitize these multifaceted systems into machine-readable ethics may inadvertently distort the traditions themselves.

Despite these concerns, participants such as philosopher Meghan Sullivan have noted that the engagement within companies like Anthropic is rigorous and intellectually curious. As the industry advances, these companies are expected to continue expanding their outreach to religious and cross-cultural groups.