John Lennox fears AI is making us lazy

Christian broadcasters, journalists and digital communicators gathered in London earlier this month for ‘Revive 2026’, a conference hosted by the Christian Broadcasting Council (CBC) at Premier Christian Radio’s recent headquarters. 

The event marked the fortieth anniversary of the CBC, who represent Christian media in Parliament, and brought together media professionals from across various media outlets to debate the longer term of Christian communication in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, misinformation and cultural division.

Oxford Professor John Lennox was in discussion with broadcaster and keynote speaker, Justin Brierley, in regards to the rise of artificial intelligence.

Lennox acknowledged the advantages of AI, particularly in medicine, logistics and Bible translation, but warned that overreliance on technology could increase deception.

“Artificial intelligence has two sides,” he said. “It is an ideal help in lots of areas, including Christian mission. But there are huge dangers because it’s going to make people lazy, and it’s already doing so.”

Referencing recent academic studies, Lennox suggested that even limited day by day AI use may negatively affect critical pondering skills. He also warned of the spread of misinformation and deepfakes, arguing that Christian communicators must grow to be increasingly vigilant.

“The best danger is deception,” he said. “Deepfakes are going to grow to be increasingly realistic, and putting those fires out will grow to be difficult.”

Lennox encouraged Christian media professionals to not retreat from public discourse but to interact thoughtfully.

“Do not simply take into consideration what you must say,” he advised. “Think about how your message may very well be misunderstood.”

Another keynote speaker, Gareth Russell, chief executive of communications agency Jersey Road, presented findings from the organisation’s ‘Christianity within the News Media Report 2025′, which examined a 12 months of mainstream coverage of Christianity within the UK.

Russell argued that reporting on Christianity often stays narrow and stereotypical, focusing heavily on institutional churches while overlooking the range and growth of recent Christian communities.

“The narrative around Christianity has often been misrepresentative of our faith,” he said. “We wanted to vary that through higher stories.”

Russell said younger generations were increasingly reconnecting with faith, but that media narratives often didn’t reflect those realities.

He pointed to the visibility of Christian footballers and public figures as examples of positive influence. “Young men are seeing sports personalities and public figures confidently talking about their faith,” he said.

Russell encouraged churches to interact more proactively with local and national media, particularly by sharing personal stories and examples of community impact.

“People don’t necessarily care that you just are Christian,” he said. “They care that you just are doing good locally.”

Lani Charlwood, executive director of Langham Arts and chair of Christians in Media, called for unity amongst Christians working in journalism and broadcasting despite differences of opinion.

“We should not called to uniformity of opinion,” she said. “We are called to unity of purpose.”

Charlwood described Christian media as a voice not of shock or division but of “purpose, integrity, hope, challenge and justice”.

Premier CEO Kevin Bennett reflected on the history and influence of Christian broadcasting within the UK since Premier became a licensed broadcaster in 1995.

“The media tells us what’s on the agenda and what is essential, it then sets the agenda. It then tells us easy methods to understand the problems with the way it frames them,” he said.

He continued: “The media has huge influence. You only need to ask yourself: what does a dictator do first? They crack down on the media. Media has power.”

Quoting poet William Blake, Bennett concluded: “We grow to be what we behold. We need to select what we behold every day, whether that’s within the media or real life”.