Lee Barford walks us through the mechanics and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We recognise how it can already help people making simple enquiries in Google (“how do I support my neighbour whose partner had died?”) but will it become a tool in chaplaincies with its ability to trawl through vast amounts of digital information and ever increasing sophistication in collating responses? Lee feels that AI will never replace the value-laden, emotionally intelligent authenticity of a human being but undoubtedly people will try to generate an AI who can create a pipeline into our services. We ponder how AI would deal with the unfathomable, the inexplicable or the supernatural. But we all agree on the potential for AI to become an excellent tool in chaplain training and CPD, simulating encounters that push us into difficult territories and allow for constructive critique afterwards. We hope this conversation starts you thinking about what is ahead and how it might enhance what we deliver.
