Welby delivered his remarks during the presidential address at the opening of the Church of England General Synod in London. He described these technologies as modern aspects of the “lion who poses a danger to the flock”, among other challenges such as climate change, modern slavery and poverty.

“We cannot just assume them to be a face of the lion, scientific change, biotechnology, information technology, [AI], machine learning,” he said. “With biotechnology and the ability to shape the human being so that they come out in the way you want them to.

“What a government can do with that in the future, what we can do to one another, go back to those different questions of identity. Do we say that we will reshape human beings so there is no one with a disability? What does that say about the humanity of those who have different abilities?”

He said that some of these technologies could – if used responsibly – be useful to humanity (“aids to the shepherd”), although they otherwise risked amplifying “greater injustice and inequality”. A report published yesterday concluded that the use of AI by public organisations threatens ethical principles such as openness and objectivity. The report found “serious deficiencies” in regulation of AI by public bodies (such as police forces), although it stopped short of recommending the establishment of a new regulator.

The Archbishop also used his platform to warn that social media could be used as a tool to spread evil. Last year, the Church of England published its first-ever set of social media guidelines at Facebook UK’s headquarters, with the guidelines based on the principles of truth, kindness and community. Welby warned at the launch: “Each time we interact online we have the opportunity either to add to currents of cynicism and abuse or to choose instead to share light and grace.”

The Church of England is becoming increasingly irrelevant among younger generations, with the 2018 British Social Attitudes Survey finding that just two per cent of young adults identify with their state religion. It recently attracted fresh mockery for issuing a set of socially conservative guidelines warning that sex was only for opposite-sex married couples.

In a bid to modernise, some Anglican churches have adopted digital technologies, such as contactless payment terminals as an alternative to collection plates and an app to allow congregations to vote for hymns and prayers in real time.

Welby delivered his remarks during the presidential address at the opening of the Church of England General Synod in London. He described these technologies as modern aspects of the “lion who poses a danger to the flock”, among other challenges such as climate change, modern slavery and poverty.

“We cannot just assume them to be a face of the lion, scientific change, biotechnology, information technology, [AI], machine learning,” he said. “With biotechnology and the ability to shape the human being so that they come out in the way you want them to.

“What a government can do with that in the future, what we can do to one another, go back to those different questions of identity. Do we say that we will reshape human beings so there is no one with a disability? What does that say about the humanity of those who have different abilities?”

He said that some of these technologies could – if used responsibly – be useful to humanity (“aids to the shepherd”), although they otherwise risked amplifying “greater injustice and inequality”. A report published yesterday concluded that the use of AI by public organisations threatens ethical principles such as openness and objectivity. The report found “serious deficiencies” in regulation of AI by public bodies (such as police forces), although it stopped short of recommending the establishment of a new regulator.

The Archbishop also used his platform to warn that social media could be used as a tool to spread evil. Last year, the Church of England published its first-ever set of social media guidelines at Facebook UK’s headquarters, with the guidelines based on the principles of truth, kindness and community. Welby warned at the launch: “Each time we interact online we have the opportunity either to add to currents of cynicism and abuse or to choose instead to share light and grace.”

The Church of England is becoming increasingly irrelevant among younger generations, with the 2018 British Social Attitudes Survey finding that just two per cent of young adults identify with their state religion. It recently attracted fresh mockery for issuing a set of socially conservative guidelines warning that sex was only for opposite-sex married couples.

In a bid to modernise, some Anglican churches have adopted digital technologies, such as contactless payment terminals as an alternative to collection plates and an app to allow congregations to vote for hymns and prayers in real time.