The opportunities and challenges of teaching both science and religion in a [G]AI context
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Whilst Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for many decades the concept burst into the public sphere about three years ago with the release of Chat-GPT and the introduction of Generative Artificial Intelligence (G-AI). This move from pattern seeing to content generation was a major evolution in the process. In the subsequent three years the development of this technology has been presented as leading to both a dystopian and utopian future. As ever there is a lot of hyperbole but the ‘truth’ lies somewhere in the midst. Science has always progressed and developed alongside technology, e.g. the study of astronomy leapt forward with the invention of, and ongoing improvement, of the telescope, but science has also always needed the hand of philosophy, ethics and theology to temper its excesses and to be a voice of conscience to modify the “what is possible” with the “what is just”.
Paul Hopkins has been working in education since what seems like the Jurrasic period but is in reality only about 35 years. He started his school career as a teacher of science and RE, a strange mix enabled by degrees in Physics and Mathematics as well as in Theology and Philosophy. After time in teaching he worked as an advisor, inspector consultant and for the last about 20 years in Higher Education, in teacher education and in education studies. His main areas of research have been in technology enhanced learning, in pedagogy and in science and religion. He was on the leadership of the major “Science and Religion Project” (SRPS – http://www.faradayschools.com/teacherspages/srsp-home/) and more recently has worked with Prof. Berry Billingsley on her work in Epistemic Understanding.