Evangelical leaders praised President Donald Trump for his leadership on artificial intelligence ("AI") in an open letter published last week, while cautioning him to ensure the technology is developed responsibly.
Dubbing Trump the "AI President," the religious leaders wrote that they believe Trump is there by "Divine Providence" to guide the world on the future of AI.
The signatories said they are "pro-science" and fully support the advancement of technology which benefits their own ministries around the world.
"We are also pro-economic prosperity and economic leadership for America and our friends. We do not want to see the AI revolution slowing, but we want to see the AI revolution accelerating responsibly," the letter says.
AI IS ALL BRAIN AND NO ETHICS
The faith leaders warned about the technology advancing at an out-of-control pace that could cause "potential peril" for mankind.
They cited concerns raised by industry leaders Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Sam Altman, warning that AI would take jobs away in most industries and could eventually cause human suffering.
The U.S. should not hesitate in its efforts to "win the AI race," the pastors told Trump, but cautioned that victory mustn't come at any cost.
"As people of faith, we believe we should rapidly develop powerful AI tools that help cure diseases and solve practical problems, but not autonomous smarter-than-human machines that nobody knows how to control," the letter states.
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"The spiritual implications of creating intelligence that may one day surpass human capabilities raises profound theological and ethical questions that must be thoughtfully considered with wisdom. One does not have to be religious to recognize religion as a type of compounding wisdom over the centuries, and virtually all religious traditions warn against a world where work is no longer necessary or where human beings can live their lives without any guardrails," the leaders wrote.
They urged Trump to develop an advisory council or delegate authority to an existing agency or council "which would convene leaders who will pay attention especially not only to what AI CAN do but also what it SHOULD do."
A group of 18 pastors and faith leaders signed on to the letter, which was spearheaded by prominent Christian leaders, Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, and Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Council.
The letter comes weeks after Pope Leo XIV compared the advancements in AI to the Industrial Revolution and called on the Catholic Church to confront the challenges AI poses to human dignity, labor and society.
In April, Trump signed an executive order to implement AI education in the classroom to create "educational and workforce development opportunities for America's youth."
The AI order, Trump's latest pro-AI measure, established a White House task force for AI and education that will work with federal agencies and the private sector to help draft AI programs for schools.
Fox News' Alec Schemmel and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
