Christians consider ethics of AI data centres

Declaring impassioned resistance or welcoming with open arms are the competing prevailing sentiments emanating from discussions over AI data centres being staged in communities right across Canada and worldwide.

There are ethical dimensions for Catholics and Christians to contemplate in this latest battleground in the broader debate over the unfolding technological paradigm shift.

A host of voices articulated the positive and negative considerations during this past May’s Canadian Christian Communicators Association and Associated Church Press convention in Toronto. Focal points were economic innovation, environmental concerns and safeguarding the dignity of what it means to be human.

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Aidan Britnell, the Gen-Z creator of Kaleo AI, a custom-trained platform that translates and live-captions worship services into more than 150 languages and dialects, and Joanna la Fleur, Alpha Canada’s director of brand influence, contributed their viewpoints to the discussion.

In an interview with the Catholic Register, Britnell shared that his immersion and embrace of AI differed from many other convention attendees who were AI-skeptical. He suggested this skepticism, in part, stems from their lack of experience with these large language models. Just 20 per cent of the people in the room, Britnell estimated, answered ‘yes’ when asked if they used AI weekly.

The technologist and entrepreneur, whose platform serves over 1,000 churches in 25 different countries, understands that opposition to AI data centres is “uniting people of every political stripe and every kind of conviction.” His message is that the costs and benefits of each proposed data centre must be weighed and no two projects are the same.

“You hear about all the bad ones that are way too close to a community that are going to have negative effects,” said Britnell, a contributing writer for Church Tech Insider. “And those are lumped in with all the other projects set up in a sparsely populated area that mitigates a lot of concerns around the power grid, noise and pollution.”

Job creation for blue-collar workers (electricians, plumbers, builders, HVAC) is one of the top ways a community benefits from building an AI data centre, and it is not a limited phenomenon, he said.

“These facilities are always being expanded over time,” shared Britnell. “I wouldn’t characterize this as a one-time construction boom. The renovation and maintenance of these centres are massive for jobs and employment.”

Britnell also alluded to the tax incentives these centres pour into a community.

For example, Meta’s privately-financed $13 billion AI-optimized data centre coming to Sturgeon County will reportedly, according to the Government of Alberta, “deliver $250 million a year in benefits to Albertans through royalties, taxes, levies and transmission fees.” And this revenue will help “pay for healthcare, education and public safety” without raising taxes.

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During the Toronto convention, la Fleur, “optimistic by nature” about what lies in the future, advanced that the ecological questions posed by the AI data centre debate should not be viewed as just technical matters, but also through the prism of biblical and Church teaching.

“As Christians who care about the earth and our contributions to creation care, I think it is something we need to be sober-minded about,” said la Fleur to the Register.

Municipal water hoarding, massive electricity and natural gas consumption, noise pollution and air quality problems have been flagged as potential concerns.

Microsoft is being targeted in a class-action lawsuit over its Fairwater facility in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, as plaintiffs contended the low-frequency noise disrupts their homes and affects property values. Meanwhile, xAI in Mississippi is being sued over the gas turbines powering the Southaven data center, named “MACROHARDRR,” because of reported “noise, vibration, and air pollution” problems.

While la Fleur cited such environmental concerns during her convention remarks, her main ethical concern is losing sight of what it means to be a human made in God’s image.

“Therefore, where are we dehumanizing ourselves or others in the kind of ways that we're operating?” asked la Fleur. “Where do we need to think about human dignity? Where does it make sense to innovate and to grow”

“The classic example I would use is when an employee is being asked to train the AI that will take their job,” added la Fleur. “That has got to feel incredibly dehumanizing to train up the thing that will then take your job away from you.”

An oft-heard refrain over the past few years is that indeed AI will take on certain types of work, but that will open the door to people engaging in different types of work and discovering new purposes. Catholic healthcare institutions, refugee agencies and dioceses are actively exploring the pastoral work that could be explored because of AI taking on administrative tasks.  

Alpha Canada is already engaging specifically with Canadians, particularly Generation Alpha, about the uncertain world ahead. la Fleur said the AI revolution does provoke important questions.

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“If AI is taking the job, then what is my value? If AI is building fake news stories, then how do I know what is real and true in the world? What can I trust and hold on to? Where do I go to navigate? Who are the guides in my life?” asked LaFleur.

“Jesus Christ offers a compelling invitation for people, and a rational, reasonable person can believe in the Christian faith.”

(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)

A version of this article appeared in the September 13, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Christians consider ethics of AI data centres"