Transhumanist movements are both favored today due to advancements in human enhancement technologies (HETs) and heavily criticized, as they challenge theological and ethical concerns regarding the boundaries of creation, human dignity, and the legitimacy of technological intervention in shaping human identity. This study examines these tensions through a comparative scriptural analysis of Imago Dei / B’tselem Elohim (Genesis 1:27), human stewardship (Genesis 1:28), and the Islamic concept of Khalīfa, or "viceroy" (Al-Baqarah 2:30). In doing so, it adopts a philological recognition of textual priority as a fundamental axiom and, first and foremost, outlines the spectrum of the theological debate that mirrors traditional conventions regarding these aforementioned notions.
By exploring modern Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theological perspectives within their scriptural contexts, this research probes several key questions: Do AI-driven human enhancement technologies undermine the theological genesis (i.e., implications for doctrines such as creation, sin, and human nature) and the anthropological genesis of humanity (i.e., revelations pertaining to human origins, identity, and purpose), or do they fulfill the divine creation plan as revealed in scripture? Another pertinent question in this research is to what extent AI and HETs challenge or support the doctrine of the divine image, human stewardship, and viceroyship. The hypothesis posits that if Imago Dei / B’tselem Elohim and Khalīfa are understood as immutable divine attributes, then ultimate AI-driven enhancements carry the risk of being construed as degrading human identity in theology. Conversely, if stewardship and viceroyship are interpreted as an extended natural mimesis encompassing technological progress, procreation, and individual or societal advancement, then their theological implications may be conceived as an echelon of spiritual fulfillment rather than spiritual destruction.
Employing textual analysis, this study utilizes exegetical critique of scriptures, engages modern Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theological scholarship, and applies theological ethics to contemporary AI and biotechnology discourse. Neuralink (brain-machine interfaces), CRISPR genetic modification, and AI-powered prosthetics will be examined as exemplary real-world applications within these theological frameworks. The ethical inquiry will assess enhancement technologies through the lens of Halakha, Christian ethics, and Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah as scriptural semiotic references.
The theological reception of AI and human enhancement technologies hinges upon foundational doctrinal interpretations of Genesis and is subject to the repercussions of whether human identity is an immutable reflection of the divine persona—either created ex nihilo or through emanation—fixed and inviolable, or whether it is endowed with a dynamic, participatory role within the natural mimesis. That is to say, if human beings are entrusted with the stewardship of creation, then technological progress can be consistently interpreted not as a violation of divine authority through hubris but as a humble mimicry of the creative process.
Keywords:
Transhumanism, Human Enhancement Technologies (HETs), Image of God, Khalīfa, Genesis
This study explores the theological tensions surrounding AI and human enhancement technologies (HETs) by revisiting the scriptural concepts of Imago Dei (Genesis 1:27), human stewardship (Genesis 1:28), and Khalīfa (Al-Baqarah 2:30). It examines whether AI-driven advancements undermine or fulfill the telic reasoning of the genesis in the scriptures, analyzing Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theological perspectives. Employing philological and exegetical critique, the study questions whether human identity is immutable or dynamically participatory in creation. The discussion integrates AI applications—Neuralink, CRISPR, and AI prosthetics—comparing the Halakha, Christian ethics, and Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah in the underlying scriptural references. Ultimately, the research investigates the literature shaped around the discussion in the religious communities whether technological progress constitutes a violation of divine role assigned to humanity via hubris or the fulfillment of its concept of genesis with humility.