Ep. 46: Who's afraid of AI? How theological educators can think about artificial intelligence

Send us Fan MailThere has been considerable concern about artificial intelligence and its use in theological higher education, particularly as it relates to cheating. But Greg Henson, president of Kairos University, and Ruth McGillivray say there's more to it than that.  In this episode, they discuss the opportunities for theological schools to explore with AI. As promised in the episode, the In Trust Center made a transcript of the podcast (using AI software which made more than a few errors) and then asked ChatGPT to summarize it. Here's the response:From ChatGPT: The transcript is a conversation on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in theological education. The participants are Matt Hufman, Greg Henson (president of Kairos University), and Ruth McGill [Eds Note: It's McGillivray] (Executive Vice President of Northwest Seminary). They discuss the implications of AI in higher education, particularly in terms of cheating and the assessment process. While there is initial concern about the misuse of AI, the participants emphasize the need to embrace it as a tool and explore its potential benefits. They believe that AI can help make pastors and educators more effective by providing new ways of demonstrating competence and assessing learning. The conversation highlights the importance of rethinking assessment methods and focusing on holistic and context-specific approaches. The participants acknowledge that AI accelerates conversations already happening in education and encourages a relational and community-oriented approach to learning and assessment. Overall, they view AI as an opportunity for creativity and growth in theological education.