Oppressive regimes such as China and Iran are reportedly employing artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including facial recognition technology, to “track” and “repress” Christians at an unprecedented level, according to Stephen Schneck, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. He expressed concerns about new technologies that allow governments to control and suppress religious practices worldwide.
Schneck stated, “Some of these new technologies used by countries like Iran and China create brand new ways for the repression of religion or the control of religion around the world. So it's a very concerning development and something that we want to keep an eye on,” as he spoke to Premier News. He highlighted how, in China, facial recognition techniques enable the Chinese Communist Party to monitor individuals attending religious ceremonies, facilitating their tracking and repression in ways previously unavailable.
“It's truly Orwellian, and it is, I fear, the shape of the world to come. So now is the time for us to begin developing mechanisms to respond to it within the faith communities around the world,” Schneck added.
His remarks were made in advance of the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, which is set to take place in Berlin. The annual conference, rotating through different global cities each year, will focus this year on how authoritarian regimes utilize AI to monitor and suppress religious groups, particularly Christians.
“It’s a tremendous concern and something the commission follows closely. Around the world, persecution of religion is spiking for a variety of reasons, primarily due to rising authoritarianism and perhaps some erosion of democracy,” he noted.
According to Open Doors, a watchdog organization, over 365 million people worldwide—approximately one in seven Christians—faced persecution for their faith in 2023.
Arthur Herman, a senior fellow and director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative at the Hudson Institute, warned that China’s centralized and aggressive AI development strategy aims to displace Western values with a totalitarian model enforced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In a recent article, he explained that China has integrated AI into its military and social control systems, particularly through surveillance technologies to monitor and oppress groups such as the Uyghurs, who have suffered from concentration camps, forced labor, and torture unless they pledged loyalty to the CCP.
China's investments in AI are projected to account for a third of global AI spending by 2027, as part of a broader strategy to establish itself as the world’s AI superpower by 2030. Herman emphasized that China aims to leverage AI for global dominance, presenting a significant challenge to the United States and other democracies. He added that Beijing’s use of AI in human rights abuses against religious minorities serves as a testing ground for AI-enhanced social control that could potentially be exported to other authoritarian regimes.
The ethical and moral implications of AI technology have prompted religious leaders to assess the potential risks and responsibilities associated with its use. The Southern Baptist Convention and the World Evangelical Alliance recently voiced concerns regarding AI’s impact on human identity and free will.
Last year, the Resolutions Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention produced a resolution titled, “On Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies,” which received overwhelming approval from voting messengers in attendance.
The resolution called for Christians to “proactively engage and shape these emerging technologies rather than simply respond to the challenges of AI.” It also urged “civic, industry, and government leaders to develop, maintain, regulate, and use these technologies with the utmost care and discernment, upholding the unique nature of humanity as the crowning achievement of God’s creation.”
