As AI impacts society on a scale not seen since the Industrial Revolution, faith leaders are stepping up to call for faith and ethics considerations.
Speaking at a summit of faith, thought and technology leaders on AI ethics at the Collegio Teutonico in Vatican City, on Wednesday, October 21, 2025, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reaffirmed the need for a Faith and Ethics AI Evaluation for artificial intelligence models (full transcript).
Downloadable B-roll & SOTs for Journalists
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
“Portraying faith traditions accurately and respectfully is not an imposition of religion on AI. Rather, it is a public necessity,” Elder Gong said. “It is especially needed as increasing numbers of individuals ask AI about faith and belief, and as AI becomes a primary source of information about faith traditions.”
Elder Gong explained that “even in a world influenced by secular thought, many citizens want moral and religious leaders to help ensure AI is accurate, respectful and morally based.”
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Many faith leaders acknowledge the great good AI has brought to the world. Elder Gong said that in early 2024, he told the Church’s global workforce, “We do not fear AI, nor do we think AI is the answer to everything.” A concern with AI, he told the gathering in Rome, is that “information, capital and technology, and thereby power, are being concentrated in unprecedented ways.”
“Intense competition to shape the destinies of our societies, economies, national securities, and daily lives gives us all a vital interest to encourage, support and incentivize safe and ethical AI,” he said.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
With 800 million people using ChatGPT weekly, just one of hundreds of AI tools, the impact on human learning and task completion is difficult to fathom.
"Of primary concern is what and how we learn from AI about our faith and the faith of others," Elder Gong said. Rapid developments in AI may challenge human identity, dignity, work, and even our relationship with the Divine.
Not allowing “AI to come between us and our personal relationship with Deity is at the core of a Faith and Ethics AI Evaluation,” he said.
Elder Gong explained that an AI team has already begun prototyping and early testing various faith and ethics evaluations, and they are in conversation with socially-responsible frontier model AI companies as well as in conversation with faith-based institutions such as Baylor, Brigham Young, University of Notre Dame and Yeshiva Universities.
“I think there’s just a tremendous opportunity to collaborate,” said Dr. Jeffrey Rhoads, vice president for research at the University of Notre Dame. “By bringing in people with different perspectives, it only makes the project that much richer intellectually, and yields an outcome, that’s going to be much more impactful in society,” Dr. Rhoads said, “The faith neutral or pluralistic approach that’s been proposed, I think, is very compelling.”
“We invite all to join this Faith and Ethics AI Evaluation effort.” Elder Gong said, “Every individual of faith and their beliefs deserve to be portrayed by AI accurately and respectfully.”
“We need peacemaking, unity and moderation when faced with differences. We need the experience of every civilization that societal morality, human flourishing, and the common good most naturally occur when we are grounded in faith, respect, and moral compass,” Elder Gong said.
The October 20–22 convening in Rome, organized by the American Security Foundation, included faith leaders and thought and technology leaders from multiple traditions.