Conference probes AI through theological, ethical lenses
Questions about the ethical and theological dimensions of artificial intelligence animated “AI and the Ends of Humanity: Thinking Theologically After ChatGPT,” a conference held at Yale Divinity School in April. Participants reflected on how, in the face of the technology’s obvious promise—but also given its potential for deception and chaos—society can ensure a future that protects the dignity, flourishing, and sovereignty of humanity. Lead organizer Jennifer Herdt, Gilbert L. Stark Professor of Christian Ethics at YDS, urged attendees to heed warnings about the risk that AI will “escape our control and wreak devastation,” especially when advanced technology is driven by financial profit, not “loving relationships, environmental stewardship, and equality.” A full story is available in the news area of the YDS website.
Professor named to endowed chair
Braxton Shelley has been appointed to the newly endowed George Washington Williams Chair at YDS, named for the first African American to graduate from Newton Theological Institution (which continues today as part of Andover Newton Seminary at YDS). Shelley’s academic publications have won awards from the most significant professional societies in music, and the Music and the Black Church program under his direction has flourished since its founding in 2021, engaging scholars across the university and bringing to Yale some of the most prominent gospel musicians in the country for concerts and transformative interactions with students.
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