ai
Some of my focuses will be: Prayers of love and faith; Cautious and limited use of AI; Women in ministry; Working-class ministry opportunities; The eco church.
Alongside my regular work, I have been involved in a variety of unusual projects from AI to disability.
Founder member of the AI Christian Partnership.
Technology — A wise response to the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology – especially AI – is changing the world in ways that would have seemed impossible until recently.
While AI has been addressed by the Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury, it has not been tackled by General Synod.
As a founder of the AI Christian Partnership, and a member of the Mission and Public Affairs Council, I would seek to spearhead debate in this vital area.
AI – how it will affect us both positively and negatively, both practical and ethical issues
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a new challenge to us all, and might bring profound changes to our patterns of work, and to our ethical responsibilities if we delegate decision-making to algorithms.
AI has not been used in the writing of this statement.
• Facing the Future – Rapid developments in AI and digital technology raise
As Synod continues its work on AI, digital communication and national unity, I would like to see the Church face these challenges with a well- informed Christian worldview, enabling us to stay ahead of the curve and not behind it!
I want to see the church play a more active role in shaping AI ethics and technological governance, UK government response to Defence challenges brought about via the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle-East crisis.
How to maintain and develop traditional contact with people in a world of AI and sitting behind our screens whilst Safeguarding our most vulnerable members is without doubt a core value of mine.
I am standing for General Synod because I'm passionate that we be friends not factions, I can help the church engage with AI, I'm committed to the Diocese of Ely, and I love the Church of England.
part-time as Science Advisor for an AI startup in London and at ARIA, a government research agency.
AI-generated abuse images and chatbots are new routes to harm, and dioceses are already deciding which platforms they can be present on at all.
I can help Synod ask the right questions about AI and safeguarding before the damage is done, not after.
Artificial intelligence Leading a Lords debate in June 2026, Archbishop Mullally drew on Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica humanitas to warn that we risk “unleashing AI into our lives and societies without the theological, philosophical and spiritual framework” to direct it.
Her question should guide the next Synod: does AI make human life more human?
Cambridge is an epicentre of the UK's AI industry, and I bring deep personal expertise from my career in computer science research.
Stretched clergy could genuinely benefit from AI to draft rotas or funding bids, but we need safe, practical, and unified national AI guidelines.
There will, undoubtedly, continue to be ongoing debates about AI, assisted dying, and very probably issues of transgender rights.
You can watch my speeches by scanning the QR code or visiting the link: https://beacons.ai/kenson1997
equip the church in a world where new technologies, particularly AI, are affecting jobs and human dignity as well as fragmenting and polarising our communities.
Post-Covid, and in a world of social media and AI and global instability, I believe society is longing for meaning and purpose, and we have the joy and compassion of the gospel to share with them and their children.
Many of the items on the agenda of a typical General Synod have some relevance to local parish life, from pensions policy to local sustainable flowers, from how to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian crisis or the introduction and limits of AI.
reviewer for Science and Christian Belief, I bring analytic rigour to Synod’s debates on theology, bioethics, AI, and creation care.
On General Synod, I’ve promoted LGBT+ equality, racial justice, safeguarding and the environment, as well as the role of AI.
• I’ve worked in sales and marketing for global technology companies for the last 20+ years, including AI.
I worked with the Bishop of Oxford (Dr Steven Croft) on The Future of Work motion at the last General Synod and spoke on the role of AI.
How can the Church keep up with AI?
Impact of Artificial Intelligence on human relationships and society During a House of Lords debate in June 2026 Archbishop Sarah Mullally’s central argument was that AI must be “pro-human”.
A rural priest’s ministry, especially, is based on things AI cannot replicate: knowing people, listening, praying, grieving, visiting the lonely, etc.
At the same time the Church must recognise AI’s enormous potential in areas such as medicine, science, education and work.
Especially at this time as the use of AI in Churches increases bringing with it both challenges and opportunities.
I’m excited about contributing to the way that the Church’s digital communication can effectively reach diverse audiences and I am interested in exploring how parishes might engage with AI as it becomes increasingly prevalent.
Some key areas for the next Synod and where I stand I believe that the Church is falling behind the curve when it comes to talking about AI and robotics.
General Synod should have a pivotal role in discerning the place of AI and robotics in the church and articulating a theology of its place in society and be prepared to have conversations around sentience, life and what makes us human.
issues including medical ethics, sex and relationships, and more recently gender and AI.
I have postgraduate experience, both full time doing a masters in AI at 36, and a Certificate in Theology (part time - BPP) in my 50s.
The Church of England, as the church for our nation, needs to consider how it responds to the continuing economic challenges, to wars and migration and to the challenge and opportunities of AI.
After I had written this election address, I questioned how representative were my comments on the last 5 years, so I asked the AI tool CoPilot ‘What has Lynn Nichol contributed to General Synod since 2021?’ It replied: Professor Lynn Nichol represents the Diocese of Worcester as an elected member of the House of Laity on the Church of England’s General Synod.
It also means we have to think responsibly about the use of technologies such as AI.
A willingness to engage with technology, AI and the changing culture around us, while keeping human relationship, wisdom and Christian discernment at the centre.
Artificial Intelligence – AI is upon us and we are having to respond on the fly; the church needs to be a voice in challenging the ethics of AI.
Whether the debate is about childhood poverty, the care system, pensions, safeguarding, AI, neurodiversity, accepted forms of worship, racial inequality, the energy crisis, clergy welfare, global warming, human sexuality and “equal marriage”, or global issues, those working daily at the “chalk-face” must have a place in the discussion and their voices heard.
It was a God incidence that ai went to a Christian missionary school Wadhurst College at the age of eleven.