International Consultation on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Posthumanism’ commences in Cyberjaya, Malaysia

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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01 October 2025

Participants of the International Consultation on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Posthumanism: Ethical and Theological Perspectives’

Cyberjaya, Malaysia: The international consultation on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Posthumanism: Ethical and Theological Perspectives’ organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) commenced in the afternoon of 1 October 2025 in Cyberjaya, Malaysia.

The four-day consultation was formally opened by Dr Mathews George Chunakara, CCA General Secretary. Dr Anna Alisha Mathew Simon, Vice-moderator of the CCA, welcomed the gathering.

In his opening address, Dr Chunakara stated, “We live in an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the world at every moment. What was once imagined as a futuristic possibility has now become a present reality, and AI is transforming industries, institutions, and even the rhythms of daily life”.

While outlining the rapid advancements of AI that have ushered in an era of unprecedented innovation, the CCA General Secretary said, “AI is presenting both remarkable opportunities for human flourishing and complex ethical and societal challenges; from education to commerce, from medical services to social services, from ecclesial to political—no sector remains untouched by the generative and disruptive power of this transformative technology”.

Dr Chunakara observed that the rapidly evolving landscape of AI brings with it a host of questions about its potential impact on the human experience and how to navigate it ethically and morally.

Thirty-five participants, including scientists, technologists, theologians, missiologists, ethicists, social scientists, jurists, medical professionals, and academics, are attending the consultation being held in Malaysia’s cybercity near Kuala Lumpur.

“As Artificial Intelligence encroaches on every dimension of the human experience, from how we work and learn to how we connect and make decisions, Christian communities are confronted with pressing questions about human flourishing in light of being created in the image of God”, further observed the CCA General Secretary.

Dr Chunakara emphasised both the opportunities and anxieties surrounding AI’s global spread. He noted how AI has become embedded in everyday human practices, while the world is so enthusiastic about the advancements of technology and the marvellous changes AI brings to human life.

Dr Chunakara further added that much of the public unease and fear of Artificial Intelligence stems from the apprehension that AI will displace jobs across various sectors, leading to widespread unemployment, ethical dilemmas, and significant social impacts. He emphasised that the urgent task for contemporary society is to discern how to use AI technologies wisely and responsibly, ensuring they encourage and sustain rather than undermine and destabilise human flourishing.

“It is a reality that AI is now present in every dimension of the human experience; it is an imperative to realise that adherents of the Christian faith also need to respond thoughtfully to questions about what it means to live and flourish as human beings created in God’s image”, concluded the CCA General Secretary.

The first thematic address on “Artificial Intelligence and Posthumanism: Changing Global Contexts and Trends” was delivered by Dr Levi Checketts, Director of the Centre for Applied Ethics at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Dr Checketts unpacked the close ties between transhumanist philosophy and AI research. He warned that “a small handful of people who explicitly hold morally dubious views about how to push the next stage of human evolution are funding and directing much of AI research and deployment”.

Dr Checketts also explored the theological and ethical questions raised by these developments, including what it means to be created in the Imago Dei in an age of machines that mimic human intelligence. Pointing to the risks of cultural imperialism, uneven benefits, and disproportionate harms of AI in Asia, he posed a crucial question, “Who defines what is rational, what is a flaw, what is valuable about the human?”

Drawing from liberation theology, Dr Checketts suggested that churches in Asia must adopt the perspective of the marginalised when addressing AI’s rise. He suggested that, seeing God in the face of the wretched, the development of AI should be beneficial for specific achievements of the common good. The poor should be participants in designing and implementing AI.

“Christians need to be witnesses to God’s love for all, especially those despised by the world. Theological examination of technology needs to trace what the technology is and how it shapes our experience of the world”, further added Dr Checketts.

Dr Checkett’s presentation also covered several pertinent issues related to AI, such as theological and anthropological concerns, transhumanist anthropology, cultural imperialism, unequal opportunities, political and industrial constellations, automated weapons in local conflicts, theological attitudes to AI, tech-cautious attitudes, Christian transhumanism, and pastoral concerns related to AI.