A.I. Could Bring a Sea Change in How People Experience Religious Faith

A Slate staff writer who regularly reports on Christianity responds to Andrew D. Hudson's "A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Robot Walk Into a Bar." The Michigan-based company Covenant Eyes markets itself to Christians who want to stop viewing pornography. Its software takes screenshots of a user's screen activity, uses A.I. to scan it for pornographic imagery, and then sends regular reports to the user and a designated "ally" who has agreed to hold him accountable. The company's name comes from a Bible verse that reads, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman." Everyone wants technology to reflect their own worldview, and religious conservatives are no exception.