Concerns about artificial intelligence and robotics in English-speaking countries may be rooted less in religious doctrine than in cultural and historical influences, according to a recent analysis by Father Andrew Bushell, a member of St Paul’s Foundation in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
Responding to commentary that attributes American fears of AI to Judeo-Christian theology—particularly the belief that only humans possess souls—Bushell argues that this interpretation misrepresents biblical teachings. He notes that the Hebrew term translated as "living soul" applies equally to humans and animals, indicating that the Bible does not strictly separate humans as uniquely souled beings. He points out that English Bible translations, beginning with William Tyndale’s early 16th-century version, introduced a distinction between "soul" for humans and "creature" for animals that is not present in the original texts.
Bushell emphasizes that the defining characteristic of humans in Christian tradition is their unique calling to participate in the divine life, a concept known as theosis, rather than possessing a soul that machines would lack. He explains that this spiritual potential can be accepted or rejected by individuals, underscoring a theological focus on human purpose rather than on a metaphysical hierarchy between humans and other forms of life.
Illustrating his point, Bushell cites the example of Osamu Tezuka’s fictional character Astro Boy, a robot created by a grieving scientist father to replace a lost child. The story, he notes, reflects the limitations of artificial beings to fulfill human roles or emotional needs, underscoring that robots are created matter without intrinsic humanity or soul.
Bushell also challenges the idea that cultural attitudes toward objects like robots stem from religious beliefs in animism or spirits inhabiting inanimate things. He contrasts this with Shinto beliefs often associated with Japan, explaining that Christianity regards matter itself as inherently good but does not ascribe spirits to rocks or machines. He argues that Christian tradition has not historically fostered fear of objects lacking souls.
He attributes the fear of robots and AI in Anglophone societies to secular sources, particularly the influence of the Frankenstein narrative and Cold War-era anxieties, rather than to Christian theology. According to Bushell, the true concern should be humanity’s potential to lose sight of spiritual purpose rather than the existence of soulless machines.
By reframing the conversation, Bushell’s perspective encourages a reevaluation of the cultural and religious assumptions that underpin contemporary debates about artificial intelligence and its ethical implications.