At AI conference, religious leaders confront what technology could cost humanity

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Three prominent religious leaders outlined a slate of concerns about the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence on Tuesday (Sept. 15), raising moral questions about the fast-developing technology a week after a   researcher garnered attention for quitting his job amid fears AI could “kill us all by the end of the decade.”

“The way that it’s developing has essential, consequential, moral choices embedded in the very structure of this technology,” said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, referring to AI.

Kim delivered the remarks while participating in a panel discussion as part of The Pro-Human Assembly, an AI-focused gathering convened in Washington, D.C., this week.

The conference, which featured a diverse array of political speakers, was organized by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit that advocates against the risks of AI. In addition to the religious leaders, the conference laid bare the broader spectrum of Americans concerned about the potential impacts of AI: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic Socialist, spoke immediately before Steve Bannon, the right-wing political strategist and onetime adviser…