The Robot Will See You Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Christian Faith

by John Wyatt; Stephen N. Williams

Publisher:

SPCK Publishing

, 2021

Overview

The last decade has seen dramatic advances in artificial intelligence and robotics technology, raising tough questions that need to be addressed. The Robot Will See You Now considers how Christians can respond to these issues - and flourish - in the years ahead.

Contributions from a number of international experts, including editors John Wyatt and Stephen Williams, explore a range of social and ethical issues raised by recent advances in AI and robotics. Considering the role of artificial intelligence in areas such as medicine, employment and security, the book looks at how AI is perceived as well as its actual impact on human interactions and relationships.

Alongside are theological responses from an orthodox Christian perspective. Looking at how artificial intelligence and robotics may be considered in the light of Christian doctrine, The Robot Will See You Now offers a measured, thoughtful view on how Christians can understand and prepare for the challenges posted by the development of AI.

This is a book for anyone who is interested in learning more about how AI and robots have advanced in recent years, and anyone who has wondered how Christian teaching relates to artificial intelligence. Whatever your level of technical knowledge, The Robot Will See You Now will give you a thorough understanding of AI and equip you to respond to the challenges it poses with confidence and faith.

Contents

List of contributors
Foreword by the Archbishop of Canterbury
Editorial introduction
John Wyatt and Stephen N. Williams
Introduction: a computer technology perspective
Peter Robinson
Part 1
WHAT IS GOING ON?
CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL
ANALYSIS
1 Science fiction, AI and our descent into insignificance
Christina Bieber Lake
2 Out of the machine: cinema and science fiction
Crystal L. Downing
3 Behind artificial intelligence
Stephen N. Williams
4 Being human in a world of intelligent machines
John Wyatt
5 AI and robots: some Asian approaches
Vinoth Ramachandra
THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORKS
AND RESPONSES
6 What is it to be a person?
Stephen N. Williams
7 Robots, AI and human uniqueness: learning what
not to fear
Robert Song
8 Surrogate, partner or tool: how autonomous should
technology be?
Noreen Herzfeld
9 The future of humanity
Victoria Lorrimar
Part 3
ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES
10 Sextech: simulated relationships with machines
Andrew Graystone
11 Are the robots coming for our jobs?
Nigel Cameron
12 The impact of AI and robotics on health and social care
John Wyatt
13 Art, music and AI: the uses of AI in artistic creation
Andrzej Turkanik
14 The question of surveillance capitalism
Nathan Mladin and Stephen N. Williams
Conclusion 228
John Wyatt and Stephen N. Williams
Further reading 234
Index of authors 239
Index of subjects 241

Praise for The Robot Will See You Now

Dying Well (John Wyatt, IVP, 2018): A real treasure: encouraging, heart-warming, informative and sensible. It answers the concern of many Christian doctors that the will o’ the wisp of medical imperialism has led the Christian community astray into excessive medicalisation of the process of dying, to the detriment of spiritual and family matters. This is a book for everyone, which will change souls for the better.

The book’s brilliance lies in the effortless way John blends deep biblical insight, long experience of compassionately accompanying the old, middle-aged, young and very young through their death, world-class medical expertise, and clear-eyed cultural critique of the way over-medicalisation has worked to strip dying of its potential to nourish spiritual growth, relational healing and enriching leave-taking. Full of careful, wise practical advice for the dying, and for all those involved, what emerges is a gentle, unsentimental, moving and liberating gift to us all.

We can ask for no wiser nor honest, practical and compassionate guide.

Product Details

• Title: The Robot Will See You Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Christian Faith
• Authors: John Wyatt, Stephen N. Williams
• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Logos Release Date: 2022
• Pages: 256
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780281084364, 9780281084357, 0281084351, 028108436X
• Resource ID: LLS:9780281084364
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T22:46:46Z

About the Authors

John Wyatt is Emeritus Professor of Ethics and Perinatology, University College London and Senior Researcher at Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge. He is an expert in the interface between medical ethics, technology and Christianity, and is currently leading a research project on the social, ethical and theological implications of advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. He is the author of Matters of Life and Death (IVP 2009), Right to Die? (IVP, 2015) and Dying Well (IVP, 2018).

Stephen N. Williams is an Honorary Professor of Theology at Queen's University, Belfast and a participant in a research project into the social, ethical and theological implications of advances in artificial intelligence and robotics based at the Faraday Institute, Cambridge. His books include Revelation and Reconciliation (Cambridge University Press, 1995), The Shadow of the Antichrist (Baker Academic Press, 2006) and The Election of Grace (Eerdmans, 2015).