Can AI Be a Missionary? | Billy Coppedge on Reimagining Mission in an AI World

In this episode of the Lausanne Movement Podcast, Jason Watson speaks with Dr Billy Coppedge, former Lausanne catalyst for orality and author of I, Missionary: Reimagining Missions in an AI World.

Together, they explore the surprising connection between orality and artificial intelligence, why human presence and relationships remain essential to Christian mission, and what it truly means to be sent by God.

Billy challenges us to look beyond the capabilities of AI and consider what technology cannot reproduce: the experience of encountering God, the wisdom that comes from walking with him, and a life that embodies Christ’s character.

This conversation invites Christian leaders to approach AI with both openness and discernment, remembering that our calling is not simply to communicate the gospel, but to live it.

Links & Resources

I, Missionary: Reimagining Missions in an AI World — Billy Coppedge’s book
AI Guidelines for Christian Ministry — Practical guidance for responsible AI use in Christian ministry
Orality: The Embodied Word in the Age of AI — Part 1 and Part 2 — Articles co-authored by Billy Coppedge
Lausanne Movement Podcast Archive

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Guests in This Episode

Billy Coppedge

Dr Billy Coppedge is a missionary, researcher, and storyteller with more than two decades of experience in global mission, having lived and served in Uganda, Israel, and Scotland.

A former Lausanne catalyst for orality, Billy holds a PhD in World Christianity from the University of Edinburgh, where his research focused on orality and Scripture engagement in Ugandan Christianity. He currently serves with World Gospel Mission and One Mission Society, helping people encounter God's Word through oral Bible storytelling and other approaches to Scripture engagement.

He is the author of I, Missionary: Reimagining Missions in an AI World, a collection of fictional stories exploring how emerging technologies challenge our understanding of Christian mission, human relationships, and what it means to be human.