Survey: One in Three Americans Trust AI as Much as a Pastor

When Black Americans wrestle with hard questions or crises — grief, addiction, loneliness, illness, broken marriages, racial violence, or simple uncertainty about what comes next — they often look to a pastor for the answers.

Now, research indicates a growing number of Americans are more willing to consult an AI chatbot instead.

According to a new survey from Gloo, a faith-tech company, and the Barna Group, a Christian research firm, nearly one-third of American adults say spiritual advice from artificial intelligence is as trustworthy as guidance from a pastor. That figure rises to roughly 40% among Millennials and Gen Z adults, suggesting that younger Americans increasingly see AI as a source of spiritual counsel — not just a tool for writing emails and conducting research.

Challenge for the Black Church

Daniel Copeland, vice president of research at Barna Group, said the survey indicates a tension within the church as artificial intelligence sweeps into nearly every facet of daily life. Though most practicing Christians are wary of AI as a spiritual tool, “their views are shifting and remain largely uninformed by their pastor.” And, he says, there’s evidence that many pastors are struggling to keep pace.

While four in 10 practicing Christians report using AI for prayer, Bible study, or spiritual growth, only a small share of pastors say they feel comfortable teaching about the technology, according to the study. That gap between congregational use and pastoral understanding may become one of the defining challenges of ministry in the next decade.

Experts say the shift presents a unique challenge for Black Christians. 

Historically, the Black church has been more than a place of worship. It has served as a political headquarters, counseling center, social service agency, and foundation for civil rights organizing and community gathering. At the same time, Black churches have often been early adopters of digital ministry, from livestreamed worship services to online Bible studies and virtual prayer circles. Researchers studying Black churches say congregations have increasingly embraced technology to maintain community and spiritual connection, particularly since the pandemic.

But unlike livestreaming or social media, artificial intelligence replicates parts of the ministry. That raises concerns for many Black Christians, whose faith traditions emphasize testimony, personal relationships, discernment, and community accountability. 

Deep Divisions

Researchers have also found that AI systems often struggle with religion itself, frequently omitting faith perspectives in situations where believers expect them and exhibiting measurable bias when discussing religious traditions. Yet nearly half of practicing Christians say they would trust AI to help with spiritual growth, even as large majorities of the faithful also worry about AI misinterpreting scripture, replacing pastors, or even undermining faith itself. 

Put simply, Christians increasingly use the technology while simultaneously fearing its consequences.

Earlier research from Gloo found church leaders remain deeply divided about AI’s role in ministry. More than half expressed serious ethical concerns about artificial intelligence, and nearly half said they were uncomfortable with its use in church settings.

“The data reveals that church leaders are quite split in their opinions on the role of AI in the Church and how they are reading the terrain,” said Savannah Kimberlin, associate vice president at Barna Group.

The debate became especially vivid in responses to a Facebook post about the research.

Quick Answers, Complex Problems

“I think it depends on what you are looking for,” said Rev. Ronald Covington, executive pastor of The Hill in Jessup, Maryland. “If you just want information, sometimes AI may be more informed than some pastors.”

But Covington draws a clear line between information and wisdom.

“If you are looking for personal guidance, nothing can take the place of a godly man or woman who hears from God and knows you as a person.”

Minister-in-training Meisha Dawson sees something deeper at work.

“We’re looking for quick answers to solve complex problems,” Dawson wrote. “AI is a great tool when used ethically, but you can never replace the value in human interaction, especially in regard to crucial advice.”

‘Use AI for Good’

For Dawson, the concern is theological as much as technological.

“The Holy Spirit is supposed to guide us into all truth,” she wrote. “AI is still a machine that can be trained to give advice, but it’s not a vehicle used by the Holy Spirit.”

Others see less contradiction between faith and technology.

Erricka Bridgeford, executive director of the Baltimore Community Mediation Center, argues that God has long worked through human-created tools.

“God uses prayer and doctors’ hands to heal us,” Bridgeford wrote. “God uses journaling, therapists, and medications to heal us. So it follows that if humans use AI for good, it will deliver good.”

Still, Rev. Thomas Rich remains skeptical of AI as a substitute for spiritual counsel.

“Words typed into a computer communicate what you want AI to spit out to you,” Rich said. Human pastors, he argues, listen for far more than words. They read body language, tone, emotion and silence.

High Stakes

Those concerns mirror what researchers increasingly find. While AI can generate impressive answers, studies suggest it often misses religious nuance and struggles to understand how faith communities approach moral questions, grief and spiritual formation.

For Black Christians, the stakes may be especially high.

The Black church has survived slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, and political backlash by creating relationships and a shared community. A chatbot may answer a question about scripture in seconds, but it can’t visit a hospital bedside, organize a voter-registration drive, comfort a grieving family or stand beside a congregant during life’s darkest moments.

That reality may ultimately determine how far AI can go in the sanctuary.

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