Ways to use AI for Ministry

I’m going to be completely honest, I love Artificial Intelligence (AI). Throughout my house I have 1 Echo and 4 Echo Dots. I also have 6 smart lightbulbs and 5 smart plugs. Although I wish these Echos were Apple products, I am perfectly content having Alexa turn on lights at various light levels. It was really cool as well during the Christmas season as I could tell Alexa to “Turn on Christmas lights” and all the Christmas lights in my house would turn on because they were attached to smart plugs. I love AI as it is helping me create a smart house.

As much as I love AI for my personal use, in regards to using it for ministry, it is not as clear what the different uses you can have AI. However, there are a few different things you can do for ministry. For instance, you can use it for:

• Music. Buy an Echo Dot, create a playlist on your music streaming service (Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify or Pandora) and play it at any ministry function where the Echo Dot can connect to Wifi. Then, all you have to do is say, “Alexa, play my _____ (whatever you choose to call your mix) playlist” and you are good to go. In regards to price, an Echo Dot (2nd Generation) can be bought for under $40 which makes it a really good budget device for your ministry. You can also buy a streaming service of your choice for as low as $9.99/month.
• Timer. If you have a youth room and you are playing a game, you can always ask Alexa or Siri to set a timer for X seconds or minutes. That way you don’t have to worry about watching the timer and being in charge of the game at the same time. Alexa or Siri will let you know when the time is up.
• Reminders. You can never have enough reminders. If your phone isn’t a great place for you to store reminders to be alerted about, you can always use your Echo or HomePod to set up a reminder to remind you certain things.
• Controlling Smart Devices for Events. I use smart plugs and lights all over my house to control the environment in my own home. In the same way, with some smart plugs or lights you can control the environment of your youth or meeting room by simply using your phone or a voice command. This is especially helpful if you do not have a lot of volunteers to help you turn on or off lights while you are up front.

Conclusion:

As great as AI is for personal use, it is still a growing platform. That means that while there are some good uses for it in your ministry, it is still lacking. But again, we are just on the cusp of great stuff. Over time there are bound to be countless uses of AI for ministry. It may just take a little longer for it to become a reality. For the meantime, this is a good start.

What do you think? How have you used AI for ministry? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick when you share.

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