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“ There is also a moral and ethical debate which has to take place to ensure the practical application of AI is carefully supervised.

I WAS intrigued recently to find a short course on Artificial Intelligence available for study.

The subject of AI has been under discussion for some time as scientists grapple with its practical application.

Indeed anyone who owns a home speaker developed by one of the big tech companies will have AI in their home as they respond to verbal requests for information and music (or shopping purchases).

In Fife, where I live, the UK’s first autonomous bus was launched in an experiment last year (although staff are on board to supervise).

A friend recently posted on social media from the US where he was in a driverless car in an area designed to accommodate such vehicles.

Online, when asking for help with either customer service issues or support with a problem, AI is increasingly the first port of call with human support only becoming available if questions cannot be easily answered from a list of predetermined responses.

Naturally, the application of AI is the subject of global debate. There is also a moral and ethical debate which has to take place to ensure the practical application of AI is carefully supervised.

Prior to the 21st century, AI’s familiarity to a popular audience came through science fiction and disaster moves such as the Terminator series (projecting a world devastated by sentient AI).

The voice of Christian churches is key in helping to develop a moral compass in the oversight of the application of such technologies – and to ensure they are deployed appropriately. Because of the necessity for human connection and understanding, it is unlikely that the nature of ministry, for example, could ever be replaced by a form of AI, but other areas of work are projected to be under threat from the advance of AI. There are many benefits to the implementation of AI in areas of, for example, medicine and business. Indeed AI is already deployed in data searches in advancing medicine and science and can, on occasion, be the first point of contact for business in a drive to assist with customer service.

However, its application requires careful consideration of a number of issues – particularly in applications of medicine – and will require growing future oversight.

In making such decisions, it is important to have people with deep knowledge of technology but also equipped with moral and faith understanding involved at the highest levels to ensure the inherent understanding of humanity is not lost in future debate.

Lynne McNeil Editor