Christian Pastors Discuss the Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Apocalypse

Author, Lebo Diseko

Place of work, BBC World Service Correspondent

Published 3 minutes ago

Reading time: 6 min

“Artificial intelligence will play a critical role during the end of the world.” These are not the words of another employee of a large technology company warning about the danger of AI to humanity. In fact, the quote comes from a very influential American pastor, Philip Anthony Mitchell from Atlanta.

When he talks about the “end of the world,” he means exactly that, that is, an apocalypse in the religious sense of the word. And today, about a year after Mitchell's predictions, many other prominent Christian figures are actively discussing on various platforms whether artificial intelligence could indeed be a harbinger of the destruction of the world.

“Could it be that AI is part of a scenario that will lead to the end of the world?” asks American megachurch pastor Greg Laurie. And he answers: “It’s quite possible.”

Meanwhile, another pastor, Mike Signorelli, warns listeners of his podcast: “This is inseparable from the Antichrist coming.”

All of these pastors acknowledge that AI can be used for good purposes. But they warn that he may be using the Antichrist, the incarnation of Satan, allegedly trying to deceive people into worshiping him rather than God.

In Christianity, the concept of the “end of the world” is associated with biblical prophecies. In them, the Antichrist appears as the enemy of God, who first takes over the world, but is then defeated by Jesus. These predictions are contained in the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of John the Theologian, also known as the Apocalypse. This book contains vivid and scary imagery, such as the "Beast that came out of the sea", with seven heads and ten horns - supposed to symbolize the Antichrist.

Many Christians consider the content of the Revelation of John the Theologian to be metaphorical. Some relate it to the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire. Others consider the Apocalypse to be a prophecy, therefore, for some believers, AI is a second beast, a “false prophet” who deceives humanity into worshiping the devil. And some even believe that artificial intelligence is the Antichrist.

The end of the world in an era of change

AI is undoubtedly changing the world and its adoption is causing great concern due to its power and capabilities.

Former Anthropic employee Jacob Coxton recently suggested that "we could all be dead in the near future," and the heads of major tech companies are calling for the development of artificial intelligence models to be slowed down to minimize the risks.

“Conversation about the end of the world most often arises during periods of large-scale change,” says Professor Noreen Hertzfeld of the American School of Theology and St. John’s Seminary. “They give people a way to explain social tensions, to feel that they are there for a reason, that they are part of divine design,” adds the expert, who specializes in AI and theological ethics.

Herzfeld notes that the impact of AI on the labor market is comparable to the consequences of the industrial revolution, and against the backdrop of such changes, society is beginning to fear an uncertain future.

“We live in times of rapid change. Computer technology is advancing much faster than ever before, says Herzfeld. “And we are told that the introduction of this technology will lead to job cuts, that it will change everything, that it will revolutionize all areas. People find it very difficult to cope with such rapid changes.”

There is also a feeling in society that nothing else depends on it. Whether we like it or not, AI is already a part of our lives, with various figures in Silicon Valley "saying there's a 10 percent or 15 percent chance that artificial intelligence will kill us all."

“If people believe that everything is still in the hands of God, that everything has a higher meaning, that everything is destined, they can ask themselves questions like: “How do I want to meet this moment? What should I do? How can I be on the side of good and not evil?” says Hertzfeld.

How people waited for the apocalypse

Nearly 40% of American adults believe the world will end soon, according to a 2022 survey by Pew Research. Among Christians, this figure is 47%.

But experts remind us that such sentiments are repeated almost every decade - and the difficulties experienced by one generation or another are associated with the figure of the Antichrist.

“My grandfather believed [US President] Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the Antichrist,” says Professor Jeffrey Pugh of Elon University in North Carolina.

Roosevelt led the United States during the Great Depression, when the country was experiencing widespread poverty and uncertainty. The strategy he proposed to combat the crisis, the so-called “New Deal,” was considered revolutionary.

Pugh said his grandfather's views are a reminder of how "irrational it is to try to relate modern events to a specific biblical story."

Although the US has often talked about the approaching end of the world in history, such talk became especially frequent in the 1960s.

“It was a time of particularly intense social upheaval,” Pugh says. - Two of our political leaders were assassinated (President John Kennedy and his brother Robert - BBC), even three if you count Martin Luther King. Cities burned due to the anger of African Americans over oppression by whites. From anti-war protests to youth counterculture, our kids are expressing themselves in ways they never have before.”

After this, in the 1970s, the book “The Late Great Planet Earth” became popular, where prophecies about the end of the world were directly linked to the events and geopolitical situation of that time.

“From that moment on, all social upheavals began to be seen in the context of ideas about the end of the world,” Pew notes.

Scary technologies

During the Cold War, the role of the Antichrist was assigned to the Soviet Union and communist ideology. After the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, some Christians believed it was Islam.

“People often project the underlying fears of the times they live in onto [the end of the world] narratives,” Pugh adds.

Australian pastor Stephen Driscoll, author of the book “Made in Our Image: God, Artificial Intelligence, and You,” is not entirely sure who the Antichrist is and in what form he may appear.

He writes that AI is “one of the most frightening technologies ever created by man” and “may be a very likely candidate for this role.” But he warns that using the Bible to predict the future is not a good idea.

“There's a lot more to the Bible than just speculation about who the Antichrist is,” Driscoll says. “It prepares us for change, giving us a holistic theological picture and tools to reconcile AI systems with human values.”

"Submit to the will of the Lord"

According to the pastor, the Old Testament "talks about technological innovations in agriculture, such as threshing grain and so on, and it notes that all of this comes from the Lord."

As the pastor assures, everything will end well - regardless of whether the end of the world awaits us in the near future or not. “Not everything that happens to us is for the good,” Driscoll concludes. “But the most important thing is that God is good, and everything is in his power.”