As artificial intelligence continues to reshape how we live, communicate, and understand the world, it also calls people of faith to engage deeply with urgent spiritual and ethical questions. What does it mean to be a soul in digital space? How might algorithms and machine learning reframe our theological imagination, and what does spiritual discernment look like in an age where data often guides decision-making? From worship to pastoral care, clergy and faith leaders are now discerning how AI might challenge, transform, or even enrich sacred practice and communal life.
This conversation-driven webinar brings together leading thinkers and practitioners at the intersection of technology, theology, and ethics. Drawing on diverse traditions and disciplines—from feminist and womanist theology to computer science, Buddhism, and pastoral ministry—our panel will explore the promises and perils of artificial intelligence with nuance, clarity, and care. Whether you're a theologian, technologist, pastor, or seeker, this timely dialogue invites you to reflect on how faith communities can meet the digital future with courage, creativity, and spiritual depth.
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Dr. Daren Erisman is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Minot State University in North Dakota where he established and co-leads a new data science program with undergraduate topics in AI. Serving as an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Daren also holds a Ph.D. in Systematic and Philosophical Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. His research interests include comparative theology between Christianity and Islam, as well as the relationship between science and religion.
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Dr. Shamika Klassen graduated from Stanford University with a degree in African and African-American studies. Afterward, she moved to New York City to serve a year with AmeriCorps. During that time, she earned a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York focusing her studies on technology, ethics, and social justice issues. While there, she also developed technowomanism as an ethical framework rooted in the womanist tradition and the wisdom of Black women. She went on to pursue a Ph. D. from the Information Science department at the University of Colorado Boulder advised by Dr. Casey Fiesler. She is the first Black person to receive a Ph. D. from the department. Her dissertation topic was, "How do Black women, femmes, and non-binary people envision the future of technology?" She has published collaborative work in GROUP, SIGCSE, CSCW, Social Media + Society, DIS and CHI. Dr. Klassen is currently a User Experience Researcher at Google. Outside of her professional life, she fills her cup by knitting, playing games or consuming media of all kinds, making smash books, writing letters, and connecting with friends, family, and her community.
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Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee has served as the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty since July 2017. As a feminist communitarian practical theologian, her theological and scholarly pursuit is fueled by her commitment to social justice. She works hard to embody her commitment in her leadership and pedagogical practices. Before Iliff, Rev. Dr. Lee taught for 15 years at the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) and the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, CA, where she became the first woman of color tenured faculty in 2007. Dr. Lee is also an ordained United Methodist elder who served churches in Korea and the United States. Her current research projects include co-editing a Louisville Institute grant-funded book, Embodying Anti-Racism: Asian American Christianity and Feminist Theologies; investigating “Sexual Violence in Asian American Ethnoreligious Communities,” a Religion and Sexual Abuse project of the University of California, Riverside, funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. She is the immediate past president of the Religious Education Association and the incoming board chair of PANAAWTM (Pacific, Asian, North American Asian Women in Theology and Ministry). She also serves as the co-chair of the Women and Religion Unit of the American Academy of Religion.
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Alex Sarkissian is an entrepreneur, contemplative coach, and Buddhist chaplain. He is the co-founder of Wisdom Imperative which empowers organizations and leaders to build cultures of connection, compassion, and growth. His work centers around the future of spiritual practice & community, technology ethics, and human flourishing in the age of AI. Alex was previously a founder, CMO, and operator at various early-stage startups and a strategy & innovation consultant at Deloitte. He holds a Master of Divinity in Buddhism & Interreligious Engagement from Union Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Northwestern University. Alex started meditating in 2009 and is a practicing Buddhist straddling the traditions of Insight and Soto Zen.