AI 301 - Societal and Theological Impact of AI

3 Cr. Hrs.

This course investigates the broader societal and theological implications of artificial intelligence, equipping students to evaluate the cultural, philosophical, and spiritual challenges posed by increasingly intelligent machines. Students will explore how AI reshapes human relationships, labor structures, education, community formation, and religious practices, raising new questions about identity, agency, and what it means to be human in an age of simulation.

The course engages theological anthropology, the doctrine of the Imago Dei, and the ethics of technology from a Christian worldview. Topics include synthetic relationships, deepfakes, AI companionship, digital spirituality, transhumanism, and the shifting definition of presence, worship, and community. Through interdisciplinary readings, media analysis, and theological reflection, students will learn to discern the cultural narratives AI technologies both reflect and reinforce.

By the end of the course, students will be prepared to speak with theological depth and cultural fluency about AI’s potential to transform society, and the urgent need for ethical, incarnational witness in a digitized world.

Prerequisite(s): AI 201
Grading Basis: Graded Repeatable: No Typical Periods Offered: Fall