Journal for Christian reflections in the context of social sciences and humanities

Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):45-55 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2026.006

The Anthropological Turn Towards Dialogue in the Age of Generative AI

Milan Urbančok1, Jozef Žuffa2, Lucia Malíčková3
1 Trnava University, Faculty of Theology, Department of Systematic Theology, Hornopotočná 23, 918 43 Trnava, Slovak Republic
2 Trnava University, Faculty of Theology, Department of Practical Theology, Hornopotočná 23, 918 43 Trnava, Slovak Republic
3 Project Coordinator, National Supercomputing Center Slovakia, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 35 Bratislava 45, Slovak Republic

Generative artificial intelligence is reshaping the conditions of theological interpretation by changing how religious texts are searched, organised, questioned, and methodologically approached. This article examines the methodological and anthropological implications of integrating generative AI into theological research, with particular attention to the formu lation of research questions, the interpretation of textual corpora, and the responsibility of the human interpreter. The study is based on a theological-anthropological, hermeneutical, and conceptual analysis that draws on the authors’ research trajectory since 2023, including interdisciplinary collaboration with the National Supercomputing Centre, a case study of a religious movement, and scholarly work on AI-assisted analysis of religious texts. It argues that generative AI may function as a dialogical mirror: it can support retrieval, orientation, clustering, and the testing of formulations, while also reflecting the assumptions, prompts, and interpretive horizons of the researcher; however, it cannot replace human interpretation, contextualisation, ethical assessment, or theological discernment. The article therefore pro poses an anthropological turn towards dialogue and responsibility, offering a framework for responsible work with generative AI grounded in dialogical hermeneutics and human-in-the loop theological discernment.

Keywords: generative artificial intelligence, theological methodology, anthropological turn, dialogical hermeneutics, dialogical mirroring, human-in-the-loop, interpretation of religious texts

Received: December 30, 2025; Revised: March 30, 2026; Accepted: March 31, 2026; Published: July 2, 2026  Show citation

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Urbančok, M., Žuffa, J., & Malíčková, L. (2026). The Anthropological Turn Towards Dialogue in the Age of Generative AI. Caritas et veritas, 16(1), 45-55. doi: 10.32725/cetv.2026.006
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