On July 23, the White House released its “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” initiated by a January executive order from President Trump. The action plan unveils a three-pillared approach outlining how to harness the economic and military benefits of artificial intelligencer (AI) and establish the United States as the global AI leader. 

As conversations about ethical AI engagement continue to grow, the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) plans to publish an AI Church Guide this fall to help pastors and churches navigate the complex opportunities and challenges AI poses for the church and consider the implications for society as a whole.

What is in America’s AI Action Plan?

America’s AI Action Plan is broken into three separate pillars of focus:

• Accelerate AI innovation
• Build American AI infrastructure
• Lead in international AI diplomacy and security

Under the framework, federal agencies like the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Education and Department of Justice are directed to implement systems or programs to promote American development of AI technology and encourage innovation from private industry by limiting regulatory red tape. Alongside the push for AI expansion, the action plan includes instructions for creating critical evaluation systems to assess the safety, performance and reliability of AI models. 

The plan prioritizes protections for free speech and developing bias-free AI systems centered on “objective truth.” The Trump administration is simultaneously seeking to enhance the U.S. power grid and other necessary infrastructure to support the massive energy needs of AI, integrate AI into the Department of Defense and prepare for AI-related incidents to minimize harm to society.

Why is the AI Action Plan important for Christians?

In 2019, the ERLC brought together SBC denominational, church and lay leaders to compose Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles (“Statement of Principles” or “statement”) “to equip the church to proactively engage the field of AI, rather than responding to these issues after they have already affected our communities.” Article 11 of this statement encourages citizens and Christians to shape the AI policy landscape, not defer to the AI developers and government to set the standards.

This was affirmed by SBC messengers in the 2023 resolution “On Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies,” which stated, “We must proactively engage and shape these emerging technologies rather than simply respond to the challenges of AI … after they have already affected our churches and communities.”

Furthermore, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (XV, “The Christian and the Social Order”) speaks to our role as believers to pursue societal flourishing, saying, “Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.” These principles should undergird our engagement with artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies as well as the policies emanating from our government responsible for advancing and controlling them. 

With the Trump administration prioritizing AI development and implementation across the country over the next several years, it is clear that AI is not going to fade into the background but will remain a consistent topic of conversation in the public square. Christians should not be fearful of this conversation but speak boldly about the necessary ethical and moral implications and the obligation to steward this technology with wisdom and discernment, just as Southern Baptists have stated through the 2023 resolution and the AI Statement of Principles.

How does the AI Action Plan fit with what Southern Baptists have said about AI?

The Trump administration’s AI Action Plan contains several concepts that are addressed in the AI Statement of Principles. For example, the administration lays out plans for assisting AI-scientific research for medical breakthroughs in curing diseases and creating new treatments while providing biosecurity guardrails to screen and prevent malicious actors from abusing these technologies. As Christians, we want to ensure medical advancements are not only guided by basic medical ethics, but also guided by the biblical principles of human flourishing in a way that affirms human dignity in all stages of life, from conception to natural death.

AI system bias is another example of the necessity for providing ethical guardrails to AI innovation. This, too, is addressed in the action plan. Every AI system will be inherently biased because it learns from human behavior. These biases should be accounted for, minimized and removed to ensure human dignity is not subverted. Again, Southern Baptists have affirmed this assertion in both the Statement of Principles and the 2023 resolution. 

Article 7 of the Statement of Principles centers on work and calls for the church to “care for those who lose jobs and to encourage individuals, communities, employers, and governments to find ways to invest in the development of human beings.” The action plan directs the creation of investment opportunities for workers and vocational retraining programs to help those impacted by AI implementation meaningfully contribute to the work God has called them to do.

Several of the action plan’s policy recommendations include securing national data and privacy and strengthening our national preparedness through AI. While the plan makes no mention of personal data security, the ERLC’s Statement of Principles encourages the government to employ AI in policing, intelligence and security sectors while upholding the moral standards of human rights, justice and just war theory.

What is next for AI and the church?

While Trump’s AI Action Plan focuses on AI innovation as a national priority, touching on many priorities shared by Southern Baptists, it is ultimately the implementation of this plan which Christians should engage in. As the plan unfolds, policies are developed and regulations are made accordingly, we must continue to advance conversations about AI ethics and its necessary guardrails. Christians should seek to influence public policy to ensure AI provisions implemented through this plan facilitate creation, use and regulation of AI technologies that honor God and respect our status as image-bearers. 

Widespread development and use of AI will continue to shape the public square, a scenario the church must be ready to address. While AI offers great benefits to society, potentially significant collective harms cannot be ignored. From deepfake technology to the loneliness epidemic driving teens to AI companions, the church will feel these effects profoundly. In creating the upcoming AI Church Guide, the ERLC is praying this resource can be useful to your ministry as we navigate this uncharted territory.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Tim Mackall serves as a policy associate in the ERLC’s Washington, D.C., office.)