Summit Explores Holy Spirit In The Digital Age
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms modern life, many Christians working in tech are beginning to wrestle with its spiritual implications—contemplating how this powerful innovation might reshape faith, work, and relationships in the coming years.
This week, over 500 attendees from more than 100 organizations and 30 countries gathered in Plano, Texas, for the sold-out Missional AI 2025 summit, hosted at One Community Church. The event, themed “AI Collision — Shaping the Future Together,” spanned three days and examined both the technical and theological dimensions of AI’s impact on the global Church. The summit aimed to explore how artificial intelligence can strengthen Christian missions and collaboration across sectors.
Among the notable speakers were former Intel CEO and Gloo chairman Pat Gelsinger, Barna Group CEO David Kinnaman, and representatives from Google DeepMind, Meta, McKinsey, MasterWorks, and the creators of The Chosen. Discussions addressed a broad range of AI-related topics, from autonomous agents—known as agentic AI—to how blockchain and Web3 technologies might help expand evangelistic efforts.
One panel, titled “The Sweet Smell of Data: Fertilizing the Work of Bible Translators with AI,” featured developers Daniel Wilson and Jacob Bullock. They highlighted how data and machine learning can streamline labor-intensive portions of Bible translation without replacing the human and spiritual core of the work. Wilson emphasized that AI is merely assisting the team, modeling the choices and style of translators rather than substituting them.
Bullock echoed this sentiment, using the metaphor of data as fertilizer. “The heart of every translation project is the people,” he said, noting that while technology can reduce repetitive tasks, the spiritual discernment and cultural insights of translators remain essential. He argued that by minimizing the more tedious aspects, teams are freed up to focus on the deeper, spiritual elements of their mission.
The summit also showcased innovations like XRI’s AI-powered, offline translation tool—designed to enable discreet Bible translation in remote or restricted areas without internet access, where government surveillance may pose risks to missionaries.
In a keynote address, Richard Zhang of Google DeepMind reflected on the intersection of AI development and Christian faith. He explored how advances in reasoning through large language models might illuminate aspects of human identity and our relationship with God. “Rather than thinking of AI becoming human, maybe it’s showing us the parts of humanity that were spiritually dead,” Zhang suggested. He proposed that as intelligence becomes more accessible, it could lead to greater humility and reliance on God.
However, Zhang also warned of the philosophical and theological challenges AI introduces—particularly around human identity, mortality, and the temptation toward self-exaltation. He cautioned against a mindset of technological godhood, where people envision escaping death or replacing human effort entirely with AI agents.
Dr. John Dyer of Dallas Theological Seminary also addressed the spiritual dimensions of AI in his keynote. While he acknowledged the goodness of technology from a biblical standpoint, he warned that tools inevitably shape those who use them. Drawing from Genesis, he affirmed that creating and using tools aligns with God’s original design for humanity, but noted that abundance and ease can lead to spiritual complacency.
Dyer praised technology’s historical contributions to reducing poverty and raising literacy, but underscored the need for discipline in its use. Addressing AI’s apparent empathy, he remarked that many people experience AI as compassionate not because it feels, but because it listens better than most humans do. He challenged the audience to cultivate that skill themselves.
Quoting Joshua 8:1, in which God tells Joshua not to fear as he prepares to take the city of Ai, Dyer concluded with a lighthearted but powerful charge: “Go attack AI”—reclaim it for good, and use it as a redemptive tool in God’s hands.