Five Christian churches and organisations in Switzerland have adopted ten joint guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence. Published on Monday under the title “Humanity in the Digital Age”, the principles set out that new technical possibilities should be judged by whether they improve human well-being. The statement brings together denominations from several Christian traditions on a single text.
The guidelines come from the Evangelical Reformed Church of Switzerland (EKS), the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, the umbrella body Freikirchen.ch, the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland and the Swiss Evangelical Alliance. Between them they span Catholic, Reformed, Christian Catholic and evangelical traditions. The guidelines combine a Christian view of the human person with the specific questions raised by AI, at a time when the technology is changing how people learn, work and deal with one another.
The text is meant as a practical guide for church bodies, congregations and other organisations, rather than as an abstract theological treatise.
One of the ten principles states that truth requires scrutiny and transparency, a point aimed at the way AI systems produce and present information. Charles Morerod, president of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, said the aim is to link theological reflection with the way AI tools are used day to day. EKS president Rita Famos welcomed the fact that the churches are speaking together. “It is encouraging that the five churches and organisations are speaking out jointly,” she said in a press release.
Frank Bangerter, bishop of the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland, stressed that AI should not serve only those who already hold power. “Technological progress is only good if it serves everyone,” he said. In his view, the guidelines should keep in mind the people who would otherwise be left behind as the technology spreads through work, education and everyday life.
The Swiss initiative follows a call from the head of the Catholic Church. In May, Pope Leo XIV, who leads the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, used his first encyclical to call for strict international rules on artificial intelligence, warning of the many dangers it poses to human coexistence. The document, titled “Magnifica Humanitas”, runs to more than 100 pages and also points to the opportunities new technologies can bring. The Swiss guidelines take up the same balance on a smaller scale, for use in local church life.
