Artificial intelligence may be one of the most powerful tools of the modern age, but power alone will not make it good, Elder Gerrit W. Gong said on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Full video and text remarks.)
Speaking in the shadow of Acropolis, the birthplace of democracy, at the Athens Summit on AI Ethics, the Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged faith leaders, scholars, and technology experts to help anchor AI with a moral compass. The summit was organized by the American Security Foundation.
“Morally grounded AI, as a tool, can open human opportunity to do and become good. We will not fulfill AI’s full potential until we make it as morally good as we make it powerful,” Elder Gong said. “And we will not reach our full human potential until we, and not any technology, take responsibility to chart our best future.”
Elder Gong spoke of the potential for AI to offer a “gift of possibility”—where “anyone anywhere can become their best self, make their greatest contributions, and fulfill their God-given potential.”
"We want AI to expand human agency and capacity to do good; prioritize learning and admirable human character; and empower individuals with dignity and place as we contribute with purpose and meaning in a world of transformed work,” Elder Gong said.
Visit Church Newsroom to read more about the Apostle’s recommendations for moral grounding in AI.
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