What Is AI, and How Is It Shaping Society?

The pace of improvement in artificial intelligence (AI) has been daunting, with forecasts of transformations—some utopian, others dystopian—touching nearly every aspect of life. We already see both sides: from social platforms that amplify polarisation to vehicle safety features like automatic emergency braking. This Master Class explains how AI works, what’s coming next, and how to use it wisely and effectively in ministry and daily life—guided by biblical principles of wisdom, stewardship, truth, and love of neighbour.

This is part 1 in a 5 part series on 'A Christian Guide to Understanding and Using AI Wisely'.

1. What Is AI, and How Is It Shaping Society?

We begin by tracing AI’s roots, its rapid progress and adoption in the past decade, and where it already shows up in everyday life—for good and ill.