Religion and Artificial Intelligence: Authority, Personhood, and the Future of the Human

Dear Colleagues,

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming human life, raising profound questions that intersect directly with religion, philosophy, and theology. While early discussions of AI focused on technical capabilities, contemporary developments (particularly large language models and generative AI) have intensified debates about authority, knowledge, personhood, and the nature of reality itself.

This Special Issue seeks to explore the complex and evolving relationship between religion and artificial intelligence. It aims to bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines (including philosophy, theology, religious studies, computer science, law, and social sciences) to examine how AI is reshaping religious thought and practice, and how religious traditions can critically engage emerging technologies.

Rather than treating AI merely as a tool, this issue emphasizes its role as a transformative force that challenges foundational concepts such as human uniqueness, moral responsibility, epistemic authority, and the possibility of transcendence.

This Special Issue invites contributions that address the philosophical, theological, ethical, and cultural implications of artificial intelligence in relation to religion.

Key themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

• AI as a source of guidance or authority;
• Epistemic trust in algorithmic systems;
• AI and the interpretation of religious texts;
• AI, misinformation, and the erosion of testimonial knowledge.

2. Personhood, Agency, and the Soul

• Can AI possess agency or moral responsibility?
• Theological and philosophical accounts of personhood.
• AI and the doctrine of the soul.
• The imago Dei in an age of artificial intelligence.

3. Religious Practice and Digital Mediation

• AI-generated sermons, liturgies, and pastoral care;
• Virtual religious communities and AI participation;
• Authenticity and simulation in religious life.

4. Ethics and Moral Formation

• AI’s influence on moral reasoning and behavior;
• Delegation of ethical decision-making to machines;
• Responsibility in AI-assisted actions.

5. Competing Visions of the Good

• Transhumanism and technological “salvation”;
• AI as a substitute for divine knowledge or providence;
• Implicit metaphysical and theological assumptions in AI systems.

6. Political Theology and Power

• AI governance and control of information;
• Surveillance, authority, and religious freedom;
• AI and the formation of ideological systems.

7. Ritual, Symbol, and Representation

• AI-generated sacred texts, images, and rituals;
• Theological implications of simulation and reproduction.

8. Comparative and Global Perspectives

• Non-Western religious responses to AI;
• Interreligious dialogue on technology and transcendence.

This Special Issue addresses one of the most urgent and underdeveloped areas in contemporary scholarship. As AI systems increasingly mediate human understanding, decision-making, and social interaction, they raise fundamental questions traditionally explored within religious and philosophical traditions.

By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, this issue aims to clarify the conceptual foundations needed to evaluate AI’s impact and to assess whether emerging technologies reinforce, distort, or challenge enduring religious claims about truth, morality, and human nature.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, or to the Assistant Editor Mrs. Kiki Zhang (kiki.zhang@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Owen Anderson
Dr. Rajeev Kumar Singh
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• AI and religion
• theological anthropology
• epistemic authority