Swiss Church Bodies Release Joint Ethical Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence

Five major Swiss church organizations, including the Swiss Evangelical Alliance and Freikirchen.ch, have published a collaborative document titled "Humanity in the Digital Age." The guidelines, which also involve Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Old Catholic representatives, establish ten ethical principles for the use of artificial intelligence within church settings and the broader public sphere.

The document emphasizes that human dignity, rooted in the belief that individuals are created in the image of God, must remain the primary consideration over technical capabilities. Among the specific directives for church leaders is a strict prohibition against inputting information protected by pastoral confidentiality into AI systems. Other principles address the necessity of human participation in decision-making, the importance of embodied relationships, and the need for transparency regarding digital influence.

Church leaders described the initiative as a unified effort to address how technology impacts learning, labor, and interpersonal connections. By presenting these theses, the signatories aim to contribute a theological perspective to the ongoing societal debate, asserting that human value is defined by divine love rather than data-driven performance or utility.