Oct 2024: Board Chair Newsletter

AI and theological education

I’m sure you’ve heard plenty already about AI, but when it comes to AI and higher education, particularly theological higher education, the information often seems a little slim. In higher education, there has been attention on issues like plagiarism and a significant amount of fear and misinformation. But there is far more to consider. I’ve been privileged to be part of some great conversations recently with futurists and people involved in AI and theological education. I believe there is a great opportunity for schools to consider with AI, and I want to point you to some conversations and an event that can help your school think through how it responds. The Rev. Tay Moss, an Episcopalian priest, educator, and innovator, was recently on the In Trust Center’s Good Governance podcast. He developed an AI-driven website that answers people’s questions about the Anglican tradition, and the podcast explores the issues surrounding AI well and helps frame them for boards. A year ago, the podcast welcomed Greg Henson and Ruth McGillivray, two forward-thinkers in theological higher education, and that discussion – one of our most downloaded – offers a great overview of AI and can be found here. I’m excited to share that the In Trust Center is co-sponsoring an online event on theological education and artificial intelligence with the Association of Theological Schools and Atla. The event is on Thursday, Nov. 7, and runs from noon to 4 p.m. It will give people a chance to hear about and see some of the ways AI is being used. There will also be discussion about the future and how AI can be best utilized. The event is no cost, and registration is limited. I’d encourage you to register, as I believe this will be an incredibly valuable time. You can register here.Any – or all – of these would make great additions to your board education work. And, as always, please reach out to the In Trust Center team if you have questions or thoughts about how we may be able to help. You can reach our Resource Consulting team via email here.

With gratitude for all you do in theological education,

Amy Kardash
President