We all know that computers are excellent tools.  But recent advances in AI seem to promise more.  Robots are being designed as caregivers and even as sexual partners.  Programs such as ChatGPT and Midjourney act as collaborators or relational partners.  As Christians we are called to be in relationship with each other and with God.  Are we now extending this call to computers?  We will examine what it takes for a relationship to be fully authentic, with each other, with God, and with AI.

Noreen Herzfeld is the Nicholas and Bernice Reuter Professor of Science and Religion at Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict.  She holds degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from The Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Theology from The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley.  Herzfeld is the author of The Artifice of Intelligence:  Divine and Human Relationship in a Robotic World (Fortress, 2023), In Our Image:  Artificial Intelligence and the Human Spirit (Fortress, 2002), Technology and Religion:  Remaining Human in a Co-Created World (Templeton, 2009), and editor or co-editor of Religious and Cultural Implications of Technology-Mediated Relationships in a Post-Pandemic World (Lexington, 2023) and Religion and the New Technologies (MDPI, 2017).  Herzfeld is also a senior research associate at the Institute for Philosophical and Religious Studies, Koper, Slovenia.

Dates & Times

• EVENT CANCELLED: Thursday, September 21, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

  Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis, MN

• Friday, November 10, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

  Emmaus Hall, Saint John's University

• Friday, November 10, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

  Online

• Friday, December 22, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

  Emmaus Hall, Saint John's University

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Please note: Start time indicates when presentations begin; in-person check-in is 30 minutes prior, webinar and synchronous access opens about 15 minutes prior.

Theology Day is a chance for people in our communities who are seeking a deeper spiritual life or understanding of their faith and its place in their everyday lives to learn from and interact with the theologians of Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary. It offers a chance for these scholars to gain insights and grow in their faith, as well.

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