AI’s Growing Trust Among U.S. Adults

A significant number of adults in the U.S. now perceive advice from artificial intelligence as reliable as that from a pastor. This surprising finding comes from a recent study conducted by the Barna Group in collaboration with Grow, which was shared at the National Religious Broadcasters Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The research explores how both Christians and the general public view emerging technologies.

One of the standout discoveries is that nearly one in three adults in the U.S. would trust spiritual guidance from AI the same way they would trust their pastor. Among younger generations, like Gen Z and Millennials, this figure is even higher, with two in five Millennials showing similar trust. Additionally, around 40% of active Christians report that AI has enhanced their spiritual practices, including Bible study and prayer.

Daniel Copeland, vice president of research at Barna, noted, “While many practicing Christians are still cautious about using AI as a spiritual aid, their perceptions are shifting, albeit mostly without guidance from pastors.” He suggests that there is a significant opportunity for pastors to help their congregations utilize this technology in a positive manner, especially since they remain highly regarded authorities in merging faith and technology.

Further highlights from the report include:

• Approximately 41% of pastors indicate they utilize AI for Bible study.
• 31% of committed Christians express a desire for their pastors to instruct them on interacting with AI.
• A mere 12% of pastors feel comfortable teaching about AI.

Amidst these developments, the study revealed that over half of Americans (61%) engage with some form of Christian media, with about half doing so weekly. Interestingly, around two-thirds view this content as meaningful and trustworthy. However, the most frequent consumers of such media often express criticism, with 45% claiming it is divisive and 40% believing it portrays Christians negatively.

Scott Beck, co-founder and CEO of Gloo, remarked, “While overall trust in mainstream media has declined lately, it’s positive to see that trust in Christian media remains fairly consistent.”