Resolution 1: Task Force on Artificial Intelligence
Last Update: October 8, 2026
Status
The Committee on Resolutions has reviewed this resolution.
Resolution Text:
Resolved, That this 177th Convention of the Diocese of California establishes a Task Force on Artificial Intelligence to gather and contribute to the theological, ethical, and practical resources emerging within the wider Church, including the work of the churchwide AI Task Force, the 82nd General Convention meeting in Phoenix in July 2027, the House of Bishops, our seminaries, the Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility, and our ecumenical and interfaith partners;
Resolved, That the Task Force
- contribute to the formation and literacy of Episcopalians for faithful living in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence;
- develop and publish guidelines for the appropriate use of these technologies within the ministries and governance of the Church in this diocese, including their use in liturgies;
- assist the Church in responding to the impact of artificial intelligence on vulnerable populations, society, and the natural world;
Resolved, That the Task Force advise our Bishop and Deputation to the 82nd General Convention, on timely responses to emerging developments in artificial intelligence, with particular attention to the moral and theological implications of increasingly powerful autonomous AI agents;
Resolved, That the Task Force, as it deems most appropriate, communicate on behalf of the Diocese with developers, financiers, and public leaders about refraining from treating the path toward artificial general intelligence as an unfettered competitive race, and prioritize human flourishing, ethical safeguards, and communal oversight above rapid deployment, reflecting the grave concerns expressed by technology researchers across our diocese;
Resolved, That the Bishop or the Bishop’s designees appoint members to the Task Force who reflect a breadth of gifts and perspectives, including practitioners familiar with these technologies and their development, those versed in ethics and theology, advocates for justice and the vulnerable, and lay persons with relevant professional or technical expertise; and
Resolved, That the Task Force report its work, together with any recommendations for resolution or policy, to the 178th Annual Convention and make its final report to the 179th Convention of the Diocese of California.
Explanation:
Artificial Intelligence is already having a profound effect on the economy and community life of the Bay Area and the wider world, and this technology is projected to become radically more powerful in the coming decade. Much of it is under development within the geographic bounds of this diocese, and members of our congregations are engaged in its advancement. This technology is already reshaping how people work, learn, create, and relate to one another, and how we understand what it means to be human, carrying both real promise and real peril at a moment when its ultimate direction is not at all clear.
The questions raised by artificial intelligence are many and varied, including questions of labor and livelihood, of the poor and the vulnerable, of creation and truth, of surveillance and power, and of how we pray, gather, teach, and care for one another, such that no single person or perspective can address all of these questions alone. This breadth of concern is a gift, inviting the whole Diocese to bring our common deep tradition and our many gifts into a shared discernment. What we hold in common is older than any technology; the call to love God and neighbor and to respect the dignity of every human being, as affirmed in our Baptismal Covenant. Christian faith has always called us to act with wisdom and courage in times we do not fully understand, trusting God amid uncertainty rather than awaiting certainty before we act.
The 81st General Convention established a churchwide Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property, which will report shortly to the 82nd General Convention in 2027, and this diocese is well positioned to complement that work from its particular vantage in the region where much of this technology is under development. Our faithful voice as a diocese matters not only to the discernment of the wider church, but to the direction of the wider world.
This resolution invites the 177th Annual Convention of the Diocese of California to intentionally and prayerfully study how the development of artificial intelligence affects our secular and spiritual lives and how we are called to faithfully respond.
Fiscal Impact:
No additional costs are anticipated for the 2027 or 2028 diocesan budgets.
ubmitted by:
Richard Edward Helmer BSG
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
richardh@gracecathedral.org
Endorsed by:
Laura Curlin, Delegate, St. Cyprian’s, San Francisco
Sarah Lawton, Delegate, St. John the Evangelist, San Francisco
The Rev. Peter Levenstrong, St. Gregory of Nyssa, San Francisco
The Rev. Canon Mary Carter Greene, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Phil Matthews, Delegate, Church of the Resurrection, Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa
The Rev. Canon Eric Metoyer, Deputy to the General Convention
The Rev. Jim Dahlin, St. Augustine’s, Oakland, Alameda
The Rev. Annalise Deal, St. Jude the Apostle, Cupertino (El Camino Real); canonically resident in California
The Rev. Dr. Vincent Pizzuto, St. Columba’s, Inverness, Marin
I support this resolution and offer two observations.
First, the second resolve bundles three different kinds of work. Formation and literacy, and the impact on vulnerable populations and creation, are long-arc discernment. Appropriate use within our own ministries and governance is urgent and operational. A concern is that the practical work gets crowded out by the larger questions, or vice versa. It may be worth signaling that the Task Force can bring interim guidance forward rather than holding everything for a single report.
Second, on durability. Anything written about specific tools today would be out of date well before the 178th Convention. The guidelines will last longer if framed around decision and discernment practices rather than specific products.
I endorse this resolution and am grateful to Br. Richard Edward for shepherding it. I also want to propose a strengthening amendment.
A task force with a year to study and report is the right structure for most of the questions the resolution names. But one question has a shorter clock. The frontier AI labs, nearly all of which sit within the bounds of this diocese, are in an open race to build systems that exceed human capabilities across the board, often called superintelligence. Researchers inside those labs, including members of our own congregations, have publicly called for pacing that frontier rather than racing toward it. The Diocese of Chicago is preparing a resolution urging the Church to speak against the pursuit of superintelligence, and colleagues there have said it would be fitting for DioCal to lead, since this is our backyard.
I do not think we should wait until the 178th Convention to say anything about it. I propose two additions:
1. A new resolved clause stating the Convention’s position directly, for example:
“Resolved, That this Convention, mindful that much of the world’s frontier artificial intelligence development takes place within this diocese, affirms that the pursuit of artificial superintelligence should not be undertaken as a race, and calls on developers, investors, and policymakers to prioritize safety, transparency, and public accountability over speed, consistent with the concerns raised by AI researchers within our own diocese; and”
2. A new resolved clause directing the Task Force to advise the Bishop and our General Convention deputation on churchwide legislation addressing the moral risks of pursuing artificial superintelligence, and to collaborate with other dioceses, including the Diocese of Chicago, toward that end at the 82nd General Convention.
The first clause lets this Convention speak now. The second ensures that voice carries beyond our diocese. Both can be accomplished without changing the resolution’s core structure, and neither adds fiscal impact.
I would also welcome Mike Scrutton’s suggestion that the Task Force be authorized to bring interim guidance forward rather than holding everything for a single report. Given the pace of change, that flexibility matters.
I support Rev. Levenstrong’s comments. We have a golden opportunity to be able to raise the moral, social, spiritual and ethical issues at the beginning of artificial intelligence, which will likely be one of the most profound impacts on our future world. This industry is rapidly unfolding before our eyes within the very geographic boundaries of our own Diocese. Even the leaders of the AI industry are saying we need to hit the pause button on the AI frontier to make sure it rolls out in a positive way for society. See comments of AI Leaders like the CEO of Anthropic: https://darioamodei.com/post/we-must-pace-the-frontier. It is not often we have the opportunity to influence the future by focusing on the moral, social, spiritual and ethical issues of a new technological mega-development before it fully develops. Many things in the name of “progress” such as the Industrial Revolution, the automobile, or chemicals were developed and widely distributed without knowing the consequences and impact of such developments on society. Rarely were moral, social, spiritual or ethical issues considered at the advent of such monumental, societal changing developments. History has shown us too often that the forces good have to catch up to the tremendous impact of economic and scientific “progress.” We have a unique opportunity here to be heard so that progress economically is progress morally, socially spiritually and ethically as well.
For a starting point on theological and moral underpinnings for this conversation, I would life up Pope Leo’s recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which can be read here in English (and it is translated into multiple languages): https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html.
We need to do Episcopal / Anglican theology on all this, but it is really an excellent place to start as a meditation on what it means to be human and what AI may mean for us across a number of dimensions (work, war, identity, ecology, and so forth).
Here also is a series on it from the National Catholic Reporter:
https://www.ncronline.org/feature-series/ai-encyclical-magnifica-humanitas/stories