Sanctified spaces: integrating ambient intelligence and smart environments into U.S. black baptist churches

Historically, U.S. Black Baptist churches have served as cultural anchors, spiritual sanctuaries, and centers of sociopolitical engagement in African American communities. Concurrently, Ambient Intelligence (AmI) and Smart Environments (SmE), which are sensor-rich and context-aware systems, have reshaped healthcare, education, and domestic life. However, the literature has not yet offered a consolidated framework that maps AmI/SmE adoption to the theological, privacy, and trust dynamics that can uniquely shape technology uptake in historically U.S. Black Baptist congregational contexts, leaving a technological justice gap. This conceptual theory-building paper proposes a Smart-Church Ecosystem (SCE), a theory-driven model aligning spiritual tradition with AmI innovation to enhance elderly care, worship participation, youth formation, security, and social outreach. Grounded in Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) and a UTAUT2 reframing that foregrounds theological compatibility and surveillance-shaped trust, the paper advances three testable propositions and a feasibility blueprint for a pilot deployment. The importance of justice-oriented data governance and participatory co-design is emphasized as an ethical necessity. It charts a path toward equitable, dignity-affirming, bright worship spaces.