
What to Read on AI, Transhumanism, and the New Digital Technologies
We need to be aware of the AI and posthumanist revolutions:
Christians of all people should be keeping an eye on new developments, trends and changes in society. They need to offer a prophetic and biblical critique. The area of artificial intelligence (AI) and related issues is a clear case in point. Two years ago I posted an article featuring 22 of the top books on these issues: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2023/02/27/top-22-books-on-transhumanism-ai-and-the-new-technologies/
But this is one major growth area, with new advances happening every day. Books on this are pouring off the presses, so I have updated my list. Here then are 40 books, mostly, but not exclusively, penned by Christians.
Older works
Ellul, Jacques, The Technological Society. Alfred A. Knopf, 1964.
An important earlier critique of the technological world we are now living in, warning that “technique,” efficiency, automation and the like are threatening what it means to be human.
Groothuis, Douglas, The Soul in Cyberspace. Baker, 1997.
This was one of the earlier evangelical appraisals of, and warnings about, the new information technologies, cyberspace and the like. Although dated by now, it still offers plenty of useful discussion of the dangers of the god of technology, and the impact on our humanity.
Lewis, C. S., The Abolition of Man. Macmillan, 1947, 1976.
The volume was certainly prophetic in its warning about scientism and our scientific elites and technocrats who can easily control the masses with their visions for a brave new world. A must read volume, along with his 1945 work of fiction, That Hideous Strength.
Postman, Neil, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Vintage, 1993.
The deification of technology is the focus here. Following on from Ellul and others, he warns that technique and technology are replacing or undermining things like culture, art, beauty and human relationships.


Newer volumes
Allen, Joe, Dark Aeon: Transhumanism and the War Against Humanity. War Room Books, 2023.
Probably one of the best books so far, offering a careful, detailed, comprehensive and well-written assessment of AI and the transhumanist project, warning how we need to really apply some brakes to all this. He offers helpful philosophical, theological and ethical considerations.
Barrat, James, Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era. Quercus, 2013, 2023.
If one simply compares the Preface to the original version to this one ten years on, one will find that the concerns and worries Barrat had have only greatly intensified. The AI juggernaut shows no signs of slowing, and the trajectory it is on is looking quite frightening.
Brooks, Ed and Pete Nicholas, Virtually Human: Flourishing in a Digital World. IVP, 2015.
This volume looks more at how the Christian should think about our changing technological world, and how we can maintain a biblical view of life and the human person in light of all these changes.
Bryant, John, Beyond Human? Science and the Changing Face of Humanity. Lion, 2013.
This somewhat older book discusses how changes in science and technology are resulting in changes to humanity. He looks at various issues, including genetics, medical developments, information and communication technologies, and transhumanism. A helpful assessment by a Christian ethicist and biologist.
Driscoll, Stephen, Made in Our Image: God, Artificial Intelligence and You. Matthias Media, 2024.
The Australian writer seeks to apply biblical principles to the changing face of AI and related issues. The technological, social and personal changes being unleashed must be carefully assessed in light of Scripture.
Dyer, John, From the Garden to the City: The Place of Technology in the Story of God, rev. ed. Kregel, 2011, 2022.
In this second edition of his earlier work, the theology professor and web designer looks at the new technologies and their negative and positive features in terms of the overall biblical story line, and how they impact on what it means to be human.
Fesko, John, The Christian and Technology. Evangelical Press, 2020.
A brief look at six technological advances and their positive and negative impacts: screens, social media, cars, books, virtual reality and the internet. A short but helpful volume.
Gawdat, Mo, Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World. Bluebird, 2021, 2022.
The former Google business officer thinks AI can go awry, but he optimistically hopes we can steer it in the right direction. Whether this rather upbeat view of how things will ultimately pan out remains to be seen.
Gay, Craig, Modern Technology and the Human Future: A Christian Appraisal. IVP, 2018.
This is a quite detailed examination of how the new technologies are shaping our world and what it means to be human. A very helpful biblical assessment of where we are headed and how we can try to keep things in check.
Godde, Sandra, Reaching for Immortality: Can Science Cheat Death? A Christian Response to Transhumanism. Wipf & Stock, 2022.
A quite brief but useful look at how the Christian should think about the transhumanism agenda. See my full length review of this helpful volume here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2022/10/26/a-review-of-reaching-for-immortality-by-sandra-godde/
Herrick, James, Visions of Technological Transcendence: Human Enhancement and the Rhetoric of the Future. Parlor Press, 2017.
Belief in progress, the betterment of mankind, and human immortality has always been with us. Breakthroughs in biotechnology and computer sciences are making it a reality, but at what cost? Herrick offers a useful historical, scientific, philosophical and theological assessment – and warning – of this quest,
Herzfeld, Noreen, The Artifice of Intelligence: Divine and Human Relationship in a Robotic Age. Augsburg/Fortress Press, 2023.
Offers a theological and philosophical look at AI, drawing on Karl Barth and others. Numerous issues are discussed, ranging from procreation to just war theory. At times she is a bit speculative: She wonders for example if the Spirit of God can inhabit machines as he does humans.
Lennox, John, 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity. Zondervan, 2020.
As always, Lennox offers a carefully argued and useful look at how Christians can think about the age they live in – in this case, the age of AI and transhumanism. An incisive, well-documented and helpful volume by the English mathematician and apologist.
Lennox, John, 2084 and the AI Revolution: How Artificial Intelligence Informs Our Future, Updated and Expanded Edition. Zondervan, 2024.
A substantially revised and enlarged update on his earlier volume. Very helpful indeed. See my review here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2024/12/10/john-lennox-on-ai/
Miller, Julie, Critiquing Transhumanism: The Human Cost of Pursuing Techno-Utopia. Public Philosophy Press, 2022.
In this important volume the Christian apologist and philosopher offers a thorough critique of transhumanism and our brave new future. She sounds the alarm as to where this is taking us, and insists on a solid biblical response to all this. Very useful.
Peckham, Jeremy, Masters or Slaves? AI and the Future of Humanity. IVP, 2021.
Having spent some 25 years working in the world of AI, Peckham brings a lot of experience and insight to bear on how the Christian should think about and make use of these new developments. A helpful and challenging work.
Rana, Fazale with Kenneth Samples, Humans 2.0: Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Perspectives on Transhumanism. Reasons to Believe, 2019.
The authors, with backgrounds in biochemistry, theology and philosophy offer a detailed examination of where technology is taking us. They look at scientific and ethical matters, and assess things from a biblical framework. Many bases are covered here – a recommended volume.
Reinke, Tony, God, Technology and the Christian Life. Crossway, 2022.
A lengthy and detailed examination of technology and how the Christian should approach it. A helpful and quite thorough work offering useful biblical assessment of the technological revolution.
Rose Michael, The Art of Being Human: What “Old Books” Can Tell Us (And Warn Us) About Living in the 21st Century. Angelico, 2022.
This volume takes a rather different approach when dealing with issues such as transhumanism, the devaluation of persons, the new technologies, genetic engineering, and the like. He assesses the writings of people like George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, C. S. Lewis, Jonathan Swift, Aldous Huxley, John Le Carre, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others as he seeks to show how we can preserve the person and protect human rights from where we are heading.
Rosen, Christine, The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World. W. W. Norton, 2024.
Admittedly, this book talks the least about things like AI and transhumanism, but it perhaps talks the most – of all the volumes listed here – about important matters that relate to all this, such as personhood, what it means to be human, and how we can recover what we are so quickly losing.
Rubin, Charles, Eclipse of Man: Human Extinction and the Meaning of Progress. Encounter Books, 2014.
The transhumanist/posthumanist agenda is not the path to a better, more glorious future, but a certain road to our ruin. The ideal of seeking the perfectibility of man has always had devastating results, and the new technologies will ensure that such utopian dreams will simply become dystopian nightmares. A very important and engaging look at our uncertain future.
Russell, Stuart, Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Penguin, 2019, 2023.
Who controls the controllers? Who decides how the AI revolution proceeds. Can we ever put the genie back in the bottle? Russell, a long-standing AI scientist, says we can gain from AI, but we can also lose everything, so great care is needed.
Scott, Dan, Faith in an Age of AI: Christianity Through the Looking Glass of Artificial Intelligence. Eleison, 2023.
This is more of a broad-brush look at things, not just AI in particular. Drawing upon the wisdom of past and present thinkers. Scott provides a bigger picture of how we can assess where our culture is heading.
Shatzer, Jacob, Transhumanism and the Image of God: Today’s Technology and the Future of Christian Discipleship. IVP, 2019.
The American theologian examines the various new technologies and warns how so many of them are having a very real and negative impact on what it means to be a human. He utilises the biblical view of humanity and personhood to assess how and where we are heading to a posthuman future.
Song, Felicia Wu, Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence and Place in the Digital Age. IVP, 2021.
Here the Christian cultural sociologist looks at how the new digital technologies are changing the world and us along with it. She shows how this new digital revolution is being driven, and offers practical help in how we can utilise them without being seduced and enslaved by them.
Spencer, Nick and Hannah Waite, Playing God: Science, Religion and the Future of Humanity. SPCK, 2024.
Specific matters such as AI is just one of a number of issues covered in this book, as the authors look at how science and Christianity can cohere. The authors take a much more optimistic and positive view of where all these technologies are heading.
Suleyman, Mustafa, The Coming Wave: AI, Power and Our Future. Vintage, 2023.
The artificial and biological intelligences are without doubt drastically reshaping our future, but they must be contained and controlled now before they spiral out of control. A very learned, wise, and wide-ranging look at the new technologies and how they must be reined in before it is too late.
Tegmark, Max, Life 3.0. Penguin, 2017, 2018.
An important and detailed look at how life is being radically altered in the AI and AGI age. He covers quite a bit of ground here and offers a number of prospects for how the future might unfold. What eventually occurs in large measure depends on what sort of future we want, and even there we find plenty of disagreement. This volume offers helpful analysis and insight.
Thacker, Jason, The Age of AI. Zondervan, 2020.
The Christian thinker and ethicist assesses information technologies and artificial intelligence, looking at how they impact on so many areas, including work, medicine and our families. These things are tools that can be quite useful if used properly, but can also be very harmful as well. Care is needed as we chart an uncertain future.
Thacker, Jason, Following Jesus in a Digital Age. B&H, 2022.
This is a short, useful and practical book on how Christians can live fully human and fully God-honouring lives in this new age of technology.
Wood, Patrick, The Evil Twins of Technocracy and Transhumanism. Coherent Pub., 2022.
A strong warning about how the technocrats and groups like the World Economic Forum are using the new technologies for decidedly evil ends. He discusses Gates, Schwab, Harari and others, and looks at the sinister designs they have on the rest of humanity.
Wright, John, Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth. Wisecraft, 2019.
Science fiction writers have long been at the forefront of warning us about how dangerous many of the trends are in the new technologies and the like. Wright is no different, and in this collection of essays he certainly sounds the alarm, contrasting the biblical view with that of the humanists and transhumanists.
Various views
Cole-Turner, Ronald, ed., Transhumanism and Transcendence: Christian Hope in an Age of Technological Enhancement. Georgetown University Press, 2011.
In this somewhat earlier collection of essays a dozen experts weigh in on the pros and cons of technological enhancement in the light of Christian concerns. Some of the writers here offer a more positive take on these issues, while others offer a more negative appraisal.
Peters, Ted, ed., AI and IA: Utopia or Extinction. ATF Press, 2019.
The nine essays featured here look at the ethical and theological implications of AI and related matters. Like the above volume, the views range from rather optimistic to those who are rather pessimistic about where things are heading.
Thacker, Jason, ed., The Digital Public Square: Christian Ethics in a Technological Society. B&H, 2023.
Here 13 Christian authors look at a number of issues from a range of perspectives. Topics include free speech and censorship, misinformation and the social media, pornography, hate speech and related topics.
Wyatt, John and Stephen Williams, eds., The Robot Will See You Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Christian Faith. SPCK, 2021.
A number of authors look at a range of issues, including AI, robotics, personhood, surveillance capitalism, technology and the future, all assessed from historical, philosophical and theological perspectives.
Most recommended
In my view, some of the better ones (because they seem the most concerned about where things are heading), include those by Allen, Gay, Herrick, Lennox, Miller, Peckham, Ruben, Russell, Suleyman and Tegmark.
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Thanks for the reading list. If you were to recommend one book for a beginner on this subject what would it be? I’d like something accessible — both in the sense of readable by a person with virtually no knowledge of technology or science and also in the sense of readily available to someone in NZ. Or you could make it two books, one from an overtly Christian perspective and one from a critical but secular point of view. Thanks.
Thanks Marla. Well, the issues are complex, so some use of grey matter is needed here. Lennox for a Christian work might be good, or the thinner volume by Godde. Ruben perhaps as well, or Allen.