Tech Companies Turn to Faith Leaders in Quest for Ethical AI

Rising concerns about generative AI’s societal impact have led major AI firms to seek moral guidance from organized religion. Last week, Anthropic, OpenAI and other developers convened a “Faith-AI Covenant” roundtable in New York with leaders from Hindu, Baha’i, Sikh, Greek Orthodox, Mormon, Southern Baptist and other traditions. The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities organized the meeting to explore how religious moral principles could shape AI design.

Associated Press

Key participants were Anthropic (with its “Claude Constitution”), OpenAI, and the Interfaith Alliance. Faith groups included the Hindu Temple Society of North America, the Baha’i International Community, the Sikh Coalition, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Southern Baptist Convention. Notable voices included Baroness Joanna Shields, Rabbi Diana Gerson, Brian Boyd, Rumman Chowdhury and Dylan Baker.

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Anthropic says its Claude Constitution is intended to make the chatbot act as a deeply ethical person would. The Interfaith Alliance argues that “regulation can’t keep up” with AI, so faith input is essential. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains AI cannot replace divine inspiration but can aid learning. The Southern Baptist Convention urges churches to shape technology proactively rather than react after impact.

Associated Press

Critics argue the faith-focused approach may distract from substantive policy work. Rumman Chowdhury calls the turn to religion a “naïve” belief that universal ethics can be derived from faith, while Dylan Baker warns the dialogue could mask deeper questions about whether the technology should be built at all.

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Sources differ on how religious guidance will be operationalized, and observers note no clear mechanisms for translating faith input into product features.

Associated Press

• “AI cannot replace the gift of divine inspiration or the individual work required to receive it. However, AI can be a useful tool to enhance learning and teaching,” — Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Handbook

Associated Press

• “We want Claude to do what a deeply and skillfully ethical person would do in Claude’s position,” — Anthropic, Claude Constitution

Associated Press

• “There’s some aspect of PR to it. The slogan was ‘Move fast and break things.’ And they broke too many things and too many people,” — Brian Boyd, Future of Life Institute

Associated Press

• “At best it’s a distraction. At worst it’s diverting attention from things that really matter,” — Rumman Chowdhury, Humane Intelligence

Associated Press

Embedding religious moral frameworks in AI could shape governance standards for billions of users, while a PR-driven approach may delay stronger safeguards.

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The Interfaith Alliance will host follow-up roundtables in Beijing, Nairobi and Abu Dhabi, aiming to draft globally informed AI norms.

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