Is AI out of control?

According to a recent report published by the Pew Research Center, the majority of U.S. adults (57%) report having little to no control in how artificial intelligence is used in their lives. Roughly a third (30%) indicate having some control in the matter. Only a small minority of respondents (13%) indicate that they have a great deal of control over how AI is used in their lives. 

This is not a dystopian lament or mere personal opinion. Rather, this is simply what research indicates about prevailing sentiments surrounding AI. As AI becomes more and more ubiquitous, it is becoming harder and harder to not interact with it on a daily basis.

Congregations and ministry leaders are subject to this massive influx of AI technologies. I recently co-authored research on how congregations interact with technology. Our research relied on survey responses from ministry leaders in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England. This research focused on the use of technology within these congregations: Do leaders rely on websites, social media, livestream worship, video conferencing tools and other technologies for the work of ministry?

Our research found that congregations and ministry leaders may engage new technologies as a result of external forces outside of their control. Even if a ministry leader would prefer not to use a particular form of AI, this technology has unwittingly or unavoidably found its way into the congregation. This requires leaders to develop awareness and abilities for maintaining control over how and when AI intersects with their ministry.

From the research, we focused on two findings that have important implications for ministry leaders navigating this rapidly changing world of AI.

Outside forces shape how leaders use technology: None of the congregations in our research reported using livestream worship prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, after the pandemic, over half of respondents offered livestream worship or directed parishioners to a sister-congregation’s livestream worship. Similarly, 66% of respondents expect to use online worship by 2030.

This raises an important question: What outside forces will shape how ministry leaders use technology in the future? If the COVID-19 pandemic had such a profound and lasting influence on the worship life of congregations, could there be other outside forces in the future shaping how congregations use technology? Our research suggests that the answer is yes. Leaders must recognize how outside forces have the power to influence decisions around the ministry tools that they utilize.

Ministries use more AI than they realize: Our research found that 86% of respondents do not anticipate using AI in the next five years. The majority of ministry leaders in our study expect that their congregations and ministries will not be using AI by 2030. But as companies update their products, AI is integrated into tools that ministries may use. 

For example, Apple’s current operating system, iOS 26, includes Apple Intelligence, an AI assistant for sorting, summarizing, and composing messages. Similarly, Google has integrated AI into its products with their “Help Me Write” feature. Searching Google brings up automatic AI overviews of information. Zoom’s integrated AI Companion takes notes and summarizes video conference meetings. An important first step in regaining or maintaining control over AI is simply becoming aware of how it’s being integrated into everyday products.

Leaders must recognize how past decisions might lead to unintended AI use. A ministry leader may have decided to use a suite of products from Microsoft or Google long before these tools included any AI technologies.

Another actionable takeaway from this research is for ministry leaders and congregations to consider limits or compromises before they are reached. As external forces bring more and more AI features into their ministries, leaders would be wise to determine what might cause them to discontinue using certain tools. This requires ministry leaders to not only be aware of how AI is being incorporated into their digital tools, but also to determine boundaries that cannot be compromised.

AI does not necessarily have to be out of ministry leaders’ control. Though research is revealing that AI is rapidly being integrated into many parts of their lives, ministry leaders can take steps to maintain their choices in this brave new world.

Recognizing how outside forces impinge on ministry decisions is vitally important to leading well: Just as the COVID-19 pandemic was an outside force that shaped the future of ministry, integration of AI features is also an outside force that is capable of profoundly shaping ministry long into the future. Asking the right questions and proactively discerning sacred boundaries allows ministry leaders to maintain control in the age of AI.