Church Won’t Use AI To Create Images Of Jesus Christ Or To Prepare Conference Talks, Apostle Says
The church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints will not use AI to create images of Jesus Christ. He further added that AI will be prohibited even in general conferences. The elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum issued these guidelines. The decision was taken because of AI’s lack of emotions, emphasizing that AI cannot replace divine revelation. It can’t substitute the human spiritual growth that comes with individual efforts and the cleanliness of the heart.
Elder Gong said, “We know artificial intelligence cannot replace revelation or generate truth from God. Nor should we allow AI to come between us and our personal relationship with God.” he further stressed the need for the Holy Ghost to be able to “attest to the truth and authenticity” of all content shared by the church.
However, despite these boundaries, the church is exploring other meaningful ways to use AI. They are going to promote the use of AI for internal operational management, document translation, and ongoing publication-related tasks. They further emphasized that any other task done with AI assistance will be clearly labeled.
What does this mean for Members?
The church is emphasizing the balance between AI use and personal spiritual efforts. AI can’t achieve what humans do. They taught the members to rely on their own instincts, prayers, and the Holy Ghost for internal purity rather than on machines.
AI is not even able to offer independent moral guidance; it provides what has been fed into it. It can’t replace the blessings that originate from a pure heart and reach divine powers. On the other hand, personal spiritual preparation leads to character formation, with a positive impact on society and the church as a whole.
Tools can be used just as “assistance,” not as a “substitute.” AI can free up time for more practical tasks, boosting productivity. Now, it can be used for grammar checking in all church-related documents and for summarizing large documents into short notes. Similarly, AI can schedule meeting agendas and track family histories. However, it can’t be used as a life guide or emotional support.
The Bigger Picture on AI and Faith
This announcement happened in Salt Lake City during the “Organized Intelligence”. Now, users are free to use it for routine tasks, but not for their spiritual journey. If they are using it in any church-related work, they must properly attribute it. The decision will reinforce human power over AI and show that everything can’t be just handed over to robots.
