Encouraging, Informing, Inspiring STALBANS.ANGLICAN.ORG ALBAN ISSUE 3 | PENTECOST 2019 Life + Artificial intelligence: a moral problem? + Special Feature: 2018 in focus - review of the year + What’s your call? Everybody has one Kingsbury Manor, St Albans. Conservation Award winning hot lime brickwork repairs. ALBANLife 3 PENTECOST 2019 Main house, extensive repairs to timber frame lath and lime plaster, wattle and daub. WELCOME TO Contents 4-7 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: IN THIS ISSUE BISHOP RICHARD WRITES: Should we be worried about artificial intelligence or embrace the Staying human in the age of artificial benefits it brings? This important debate comes to the pages of intelligence Alban Life. We need to take notice of it now. Parliament is. There is I MET A ROBOT AT UNIVERSITY a Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, on which the Bishop VIEWS ON THE FUTURE OF AI of Chelmsford sits. It has already produced a report, ‘Ready, Willing and Able,’ which includes some work on ethics. 8-9 CHURCH Life Glimpses around your neighbourhood Looking back at 2018, it is clear that there is much to celebrate in and beyond churches across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Luton and Barnet. Starting on p10, we devote eight pages of 10 2018 IN FOCUS: this issue to showcasing some of the best of Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy’s 2018. new lease of life What’s your call? Everyone has one. Perhaps 11 2018 IN FOCUS: our vocation features will help you find one or Enabling parishes recognise a call in someone else. 12-13 2018 IN FOCUS: Welcome to our Pentecost issue. Highlights Arun Kataria, Editor CENTRE PULL-OUT PRAYER DIARY 14-15 2018 IN FOCUS: Bishop Richard Facts and figures about people, finance and buildings. Education in 2018. Inwood RIP 17 2018 IN FOCUS: We learnt with great sadness of the death of Hitchin Deanery on what ‘fantastic’ Bishop Richard Inwood, former Bishop of Bedford would look like for the church on 14th April, Palm Sunday. 18 REACHING NEW PEOPLE Bishop Richard was Bishop of Bedford from 2003 ...through football to 2011. An obituary can be read at: www.stalbans.anglican.org/bishop-richard- 18 WHAT’S YOUR CALL? inwood-rip-obituary/ 19 2018 IN FOCUS: Priestly vocations 1 year on COVER: The joy of ordination 21 ALBAN LIVES DESIGN: Alban Life is designed by CPO cpo.org.uk ...are lives lived with generosity, joy, TO ADVERTISE IN ALBAN LIFE, PLEASE CONTACT PETER HAMBLIN ON: imagination and courage: 01908 508608 | [email protected] THIS MONTH: Quentin Chandler. Joy Views expressed in Alban Life are not necessarily those of the Diocese of St Albans and acceptance of advertising does not indicate editorial endorsement. Specialist contractor for conservation of churches, historic buildings and heritage sites. Teams of craftsmen work with hand-made bricks, and lime mortars, lime plasters, fine timbers, stone, lead and decorative Get in touch: Alban Life is the magazine of The Diocese of St Albans, the Church of materials and managers work closely with conservation England in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Luton and part of Barnet. professionals to deliver successful bespoke projects. keep in touch The diocese’s vision is to Live God’s Love with generosity, joy, imagination 01727 818110 and courage, to see God’s Kingdom grow in our world. (Editor, Arun Kataria) We long to see flourishing Christian communities inspiring people of all ages [email protected] and backgrounds to discover God, grow in their relationship with him and ESTABLISHED 1984 FB facebook.com/StAlbansdio respond to his transforming love through serving others. Twitter @diostalbans Every quarter, Alban Life brings you encouraging, informative and Regular e-news: inspirational stories growing out of that vision. Advent, Lent, Pentecost and Conserving Traditional Buildings www.stalbans.anglican.org/ Harvest editions are available through our 338 parishes. Amber View, Marsh Lane, Stanstead Abbotts, near Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 8HH news/signup-see-round-online/ Tel: 01920 877822 www.betweentime.uk.com [email protected] 4 ALBANLife 5 BISHOP RICHARD WRITES PENTECOST 2019 unaccountability of autonomous Artificial intelligence (AI) is an entities and the opportunity for the umbrella term. Canon Tim Bull, Staying human in the age of focusing of power in the hands of the Director of Ministry, who holds two few (not a new concern) raise serious PhDs, one in Computer Science, explains: “Artificial intelligence concerns. As Pope Francis said to the is not specifically about robots World Economic Forum in Davos last but is about the data systems artificial intelligence year: “Artificial intelligence, robotics that underlie many areas we and other technological innovations encounter daily, for example the voice assistant in our phone or Digital technology must be so employed that they the smart speaker on our shelf – contribute to the service of humanity both of which use AI to respond to brings many and to the protection of our common enquiries. AI is best divided into strong and benefits, but also home, rather than to the contrary.” weak AI. Strong AI refers to the Secondly, it requires the best of belief that, one day in the future, it raises questions will be possible to create machines our ethical thinking. Is it ethical about potential with sentience, and consciousness. for autonomous unmanned aerial THE BISHOP OF BEDFORD, We are familiar with these kind of harms. The harm vehicles (drones) to analyse video RICHARD ATKINSON, OBE machines, largely through science [email protected] - fiction. The reality is some way to young people’s footage and make their own off. Indeed, many scientists and decisions about attack priorities, philosophers doubt whether it can mental well-being including the loss of life, without unique to us. A machine that can ever be achieved. read our mood, however well, is not Weak AI is a more modest in the selfie- human intervention? How does one objective, already being achieved, balance the interests of passengers the same as human empathy and for example in the Alexa assistant. generation was It aims to replicate behaviours What is undeniable is that artificial essays could pass for being written over pedestrians when a driverless compassion. I am not convinced car is forced to that AI intelligence, unless carefully which seem intelligent, without among the issues intelligence (AI) in all its forms will by a human by 2026; truck drivers there being any underlying controlled and examined at a have an increasing impact on human would be redundant by 2027; AI make a choice? How does one balance the consciousness. Examples are society and the way we live. This would surpass human capacities in Somewhere developed, will chess-playing machines and recent diocesan amongst all interests of passengers over have the vital the robots at the University of was reinforced on a visit made by retail by 2031; and doing a surgeon’s “ Hertfordshire, overleaf. against pedestrians when synod. Artificial the Bishop’s staff team to Cranfield work by 2053. They also estimated the repeated capacity for Chess playing programs illustrate University in our Diocese, earlier this that within 45 years there was a accumulation of a driverless car is forced to altruism, sacrifice well how AI has advanced in intelligence (AI) recent years. Originally, chess year. Hosted by my wife, who heads relatively high chance that AI would images that build make a choice? and forgiveness. And whilst my experts were required to tell the was also touched the School of Aerospace, Transport, beat humans at all tasks. up the capacity computer what “good” chess on: it similarly and Manufacturing, insights into of AI, or even the more developed mother with developed dementia moves were. The latest approach The impact of AI will be considerable, ” is to give the computer nothing digital control towers, autonomous self-learning algorithms, there are might enjoy the company of an offers the potential even if some of the more ‘Terminator’ more than the rules of the game, flying vehicles and driver-less initial ethical assumptions that guide interactive robot, I can’t but feel that type images of AI going rogue and and then to allow it to “discover” for benefit but cars introduced us to some of the the process. Get them wrong or lose even she will recognise that it is not itself what makes a good strategy. destroying the human race remain developments ever increasing data control of them within the artificial the same as the her son (who she Intriguingly, these self-taught raises profound fanciful. As such, like all major machines not only outperform and its use by AI will make available mind then the impact could be doesn’t always recognise) sitting questions and developments in technology and humans, but they are also able to to us. disastrous. there, holding her hand and praying play more creatively than humans. already reaches human creativity for her. Machines won’t have souls. We are being forced to confront More generally AI will change things, both we require the best Finally, we are being faced with the question: is creativity really a deep into our lives. we already know more than we can imagine of our theological significant questions about what it AI will change things, both more uniquely human quality? “ than we can imagine and less than If machines can show creativity, how algorithms and less than some engagement to is to be human. It is no surprise that We look at these Ian McEwan has begun to explore some speculate. Like all human perhaps we need to deepen our identify our speculate. respond. understanding of what makes us in greater detail, preferences in this in his latest novel ‘Machines developments that use the God- human.