Christian Political Theology, Algorithmic Power, and Algorithmic Possibilities

Many applications of artificial intelligence (AI) rely on a technocratic ideology that breeds an “obsession… to increase human power beyond anything imaginable, before which nonhuman reality is a mere resource at its disposal.” This paper argues that Western technologists exercise significant power through algorithms that reshape human desire, material opportunities, and moral character. I draw on a variety of Christian theological resources to argue that algorithmic power reshapes political life according to an ethic of control that caricatures God’s omniscience and omnipotence, in turn enabling the oppression of marginalized communities while diminishing accountability within democratic political systems for algorithmic harms. Yet Christian political theologies that (1) emphasize personal and social responsibility for harmful moral actions and (2) elevate the possibilities of local forms of political action may provide fertile ground for re-imaging algorithmic governance.