Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has skyrocketed in the past few years, with it now being ubiquitous online through AI-generated art and videos, AI prompts and summaries for web searches, and even faith-based assistance. As with any new technology, however, it has met with some hiccups, particularly in matters of faith where there has been growing concern over certain so-called “Jesus bots” claiming to actually be Christ or offering non-biblical advice and theology.

Michael Youssef, founder and president of Leading The Way and pastor of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, is seeking a way to redeem AI from some of its troubles. “I listen carefully to what people are saying, and I understand why so many are terrified of AI,” he told The Christian Post. “For some good reasons, the potential is huge both ways. But I asked myself, how do we redeem AI? And I believe with all my heart that we’ve succeeded.”

Youssef is addressing the creation of “My Faith Assistant,” what he presents as a biblically sound AI chatbot. It was created by Leading The Way and responds in ways that Youssef calls “rooted solely in scripture and faithful teaching from the Word of God.” Youssef addressed how his team was able to come up with the chatbot. “I sat with my technical teams, I’m not a technical man at all, but I know enough to bring the right people to the table. We have an expert on AI heading up our social media team full-time, and together with some business leaders who run AI companies, we just talked about it. How do we redeem AI? How can we use it for the glory of God?” he said.

Youssef addressed the importance of embracing the technology and finding ways to use it for God’s glory. He recalled the panic as the internet became mainstream and the fears that came with it. And, while admitting that the internet has resulted in some negative consequences, he pointed out how it has also been used to share the Gospel in new ways. His hope is that My Faith Assistant can be used as a “discipleship tool” by someone who may be in a remote area and needing some guidance on how to deepen their faith. He emphasized that God’s Word must be the ultimate goal. “We’ve always broken through barriers to reach people with God’s Word,” he said. “This tool lets anyone, from the curious skeptic to the mature believer, receive trustworthy answers rooted in scripture.”