More Christians Use AI at Work Than Non-Christians, Barna Study Finds

The survey, which featured 1,500 adults in the United States, found that 62 percent of Christian respondents say that they use AI technology “often,” “sometimes” or “not very much” for their work, while only 49 percent of non-Christians gave the same answer.

On the other hand, 38 percent of Christians and 52 percent of non-Christians say they do not use AI in their work.

Despite the use of AI in research, the study also noted that it is not often seen as a means to find reliable advice or ask specific probing spiritual questions, The Christian Post reports.

“U.S. adults don’t see AI as a ‘catch-all’ tool to be used for every kind of problem or need. Instead, they are most interested in using AI for answering questions (37 percent) and research (35 percent) — and they’re far less interested in using this technology for advice (14 percent) or spiritual questions (8 percent),” the report states.

“Going further, there’s even less desire to use AI to learn about Christianity or the Bible. Just 8 percent of Christians and 4 percent of non-Christians are interested in using AI to study the Bible. We see similar numbers when it comes to the use of AI to learn about Christianity (6 percent and 3 percent, respectively).”

The study also found that a majority of people believe AI should be used “cautiously, especially for more nuanced matters.” For instance, about 27 percent of Americans agree that if they asked “a question about Christian teachings and beliefs to an AI tool, [they] would trust its response.'”

According to Barna research, almost three-in-ten Christians (29 percent) are slightly more likely to have confidence in the AI tool response regarding beliefs than non-Christians (23 percent).

“These findings suggest two takeaways: First, there may be a need for greater digital literacy directed at Christians who seek to use AI to answer nuanced questions about faith. The higher trust Christians have in AI for these purposes is notable and something for Christian leaders to note,” the study details.

“Second, given the lack of trust from non-Christians with AI and faith, leaders will want to be mindful if choosing to use AI as any sort of evangelistic or apologetic tool — you may be met with skepticism or outright distrust.”

In a Barna report released last November, about 51 percent of surveyed respondents believed that AI is not good for the Church in general, while only 22 percent said it was.

Image credit: ©Getty Images/Laurence Dutton

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.