Description
As AI begins generating sermons, answering theological questions, and even issuing automated fatwas, sacred authority faces a new test. Can machine logic align with religious wisdom — or are we witnessing its quiet transformation?
In this multifaith panel, Dr Shoaib Ahmed Malik, Lecturer in Science and Religion at the University of Edinburgh is joined by Revd Dr Chris Goswami – a tech industry veteran, part-time airport chaplain and Associate Minister ay Lymm Baptist Church – to explore how AI is entering spaces once reserved for spiritual counsel.
From Islamic chatbots to the Vatican’s ethical concerns, we examine how faith traditions are responding. Chaired by Zeshan Zafar, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace.
About the Speakers
Reverend Dr Chris Goswami
Chris Goswami has three decades experience in high-tech organisations and currently works as a strategic adviser. He is part-time Chaplain at Manchester Airport, Associate Minister at Lymm Baptist Church, and writes regularly atwww.7minutes.net.
Starting as a Software Engineer in the UK, Chris became Vice President at two Silicon Valley companies. He successfully delivered many innovative technology projects in this time. He was brought up in the UK as a Hindu, became a Christian at 19 and has since then served in many leadership roles in local churches. Goswami has a First Class BA in Theology, First Class BSc in Electronic Engineering, holds an MSc and Ph.D. in Telecommunications, and is a Chartered Engineer.
Chris founded the AI Christian Partnership in late 2023. He is married to Alison with 3 grown up daughters and lives in Cheshire, UK.
Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Ahmed Malik is Lecturer in Science and Religion at the University of Edinburgh. With a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nottingham and another in Theology from the University of St Mary’s, Twickenham, Shoaib stands at the crossroads of Science and Religion. His monograph work, Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm, was acclaimed as the foremost academic contribution to the field of science and religion, receiving recognition from the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) in 2022. He is working to develop the infrastructure for the field of Islam and Science.
About the Chair
Zeshan Zafar
Zeshan Zafar is the Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Forum For Peace and the Chair of the UK Forum For Peace. He has spent his career bringing together individuals from multi-disciplinary backgrounds in the pursuit of promoting dialogue and collaboration, and now focuses on how this can be brought to the UK. Born and raised in Wales, Zeshan Zafar is passionate about strengthening the ethos of the British Muslim community to which he belongs. As well as being an active voice in this context, he has also played a key role in the establishment of international initiatives including the Forum’s annual assemblies in Abu Dhabi, the historic Marrakesh Declaration, and the Alliance of Virtue.
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