More Than Consumers: Parsing the Claims of AI Through the ‘Thick’ Lens of Our Ancient Theology

In this paper, I parse the burgeoning claims of Artificial Intelligence (henceforth AI) for Bible Translation (henceforth BT) from three perspectives: (i), The BT community itself (Deblois et al (2024), Simons et al (2024)), (ii), the growing AI Ethics literature (Liao ((2020), Shadbolt et al. (2024)), and (iii), theological and ecclesial voices (Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Antiqua et Nova ( 2025), and Webster (2003)). In particular, the recent (January 2025) release of ‘Antiqua et Nova’ by the Vatican is crucial. This document invites us to consider whether we understand the difference between AI and Human Intelligence (henceforth HI) very well. The ancient Doctrine of Creation informs us that man/woman are made ‘in God’s image’, any by implication suggests that HI, in its embodied ‘thickness’ (Geertz (1973)), cannot be re-created digitally. In terms of the Doctrine of Scripture, we might consider how Scripture is at the same time, ordinary human language, and Divine utterance (Wolterstorff (1995)). Can we reduce God’s word(s) to purely mathematical distribution patterns? The comparison between AI and HI is a metaphor, and brain studies like McGilchrist (2009) suggest that it is a limited metaphor. Therefore, I question (with De Blois et al, 2024) whether introducing AI-drafted scriptures upstream of the workflow of human drafting is warranted. Taken together, this chorus of secular and religious voices caution us toward vigilant discernment in this period of commercially driven enthusiasm for AI adoption. We need both (i), a better understanding of the technology itself and (ii), better integration with our theological foundations.