AI and religion: Are AI chatbots conscious?

In Focus by The Hindu · Oct 29, 2026 · 31m

In May, Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical, titled Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity), on safeguarding human dignity in the age of AI. He later shared on social media that he believes human-created art cannot be replaced by machine-generated art. Earlier, AI firm Anthropic, per a New York Times report published in September, had invited religious thinkers, priests, monks, rabbis, and scholars from across the world, trying to sway their views on Claude, the company’s AI chatbot. As religious leaders clarify the role of technology to their laity, tech billionaires are reaching…