Religious Concerns about the Integration of Artificial Intelligence into Clinical Medicine and Patient Care

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the medical and spiritual care of the sick is expected to challenge a range of religious values and norms. Various religious authorities have expressed concerns about AI’s integration, which include the questionable ability of AI to express genuine empathy, the risk of humans abandoning caretaking roles, the misuse of AI for religious rites, the attributing of spiritual and supernatural qualities to machines leading to idolatry, the undermining of provider responsibility and accountability, the dereliction of human intellect, the risk of bias and inappropriate proselytization, and threats to health equity. This manuscript identifies common concerns across major religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. AI integration should align with values that promote human health and flourishing. Such values are often rooted in religious teaching, and understanding the reservations that religious communities have toward AI will help ensure such alignment.