Understanding Religion and Artificial Intelligence: Meaning-Making in the Digital Age

by Randall Reed, Tracy J. Trothen

Overview

Is Artificial Intelligence just another tool, or is it something more… Special? In Understanding Religion and Artificial Intelligence: Meaning-Making in the Digital Age, Randall Reed and Tracy J. Trothen delve into this provocative question, revealing how our perceptions of AI are deeply intertwined with age-old human impulses to define the extraordinary.

Introducing their innovative “Model of the Special,” Reed and Trothen illuminate how individuals, groups, and cultures dynamically shape AI’s meaning, ranging from the mundane to the Sacred and Demonic. Through compelling case studies – from AI chatbots, sport, and art to self-driving cars and “Deadbots” – the authors explore how narratives of awe, fear, and even transcendence position AI as a truly “Special thing” in our modern world.

Drawing on insights from religious studies, ethics, and sociology, this interdisciplinary exploration provides a crucial framework for understanding the profound societal, ethical, and spiritual implications of AI. Understanding Religion and Artificial Intelligence invites readers to engage in vital conversations about AI’s impact on meaning, values, and the very fabric of human experience in this rapidly evolving digital age. Prepare to see AI—and ourselves—in a whole new light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032557250
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/15/2025
Pages:	274
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Randall Reed is Professor of Religious Studies at Appalachian State University, USA.

Tracy J. Trothen is Professor of Ethics, School of Religion and School of Rehabilitation Therapy, at Queen's University, Canada.

Table of Contents

Introduction  Part 1:  Practical Applications of AI: Special Relationships?  1. Social Chatbots: Replika And Other AI “Friends”  2. Mindy & More: Aging Adults and Intelligent Assistive Technologies  3. AI Agents: Self-Driving Cars, Military Drones, and AI Assistants  Part 2: Special Things x 2? What Happens When AI is Added to Things That Are Already Special  4. AI Art and Religion  5. AI in Sport: Just a Game?  Part 3: Engaging AI in Education and Research  6. Teaching and Learning With AI  7. Using AI for Human Simulation and Deadbots  Part 4: Seeking a Deeper Understanding of AI  8. “I’m so sorry for your loss…”: Is Consciousness A Special Thing That AI Might Have?  9. Large Language Models Metaphors: How We Think About AI  Conclusion: Mapping the Special in an Age of AI

Editorial Reviews

"Companions and caregivers; artists and athletes; soldiers and students… Trothen and Reed unfold the significance of AI from our daily work to our response to death. Their keen insight into human-AI relationships reveals a changing modern worldview and helps us anticipate the technological future with wisdom and hope."

Robert M. Geraci, Knox College

"This book by Reed and Trothen shows how important and valuable the religious studies perspective is to thinking about this important technology for both the present and the future. An important (and dare I say special?) volume for anyone who cares about what AI is, what people do with it, and how it impacts our lives and societies."

James F. McGrath, Butler University

"This book is most timely since AI is creating so much controversy. Using case studies, from ChatGPT and the Enhanced Games to military drones, the book helps us tease out the ethical and religious questions about AI. It serves as a reassuring guide for the perplexed and appeals to the curious mind."

Kwok Pui Lan, Episcopal Divinity School

"Situating AI in the category 'Special' is creative, ethically useful, and presented in an easy style appealing to students and informed lay readers. Reed and Trothen interrogate AI in ways to maximize heavenly—not hellish—outcomes for individuals, groups, and cultures/nations. AI advances daily; these impressive reflections will guide for years."

Calvin Mercer, East Carolina University

"Reed and Trothen look at the AI revolution through the lens of the 'Special,' a secular Sacred. This method discloses the numinous power of technology to blur the line between the human and nonhuman, the person and machine, the Sacred and the Demonic."

Ted Peters, Co-Editor, Theology and Science

From the Publisher