Spencer Hepworth is a BYU-Idaho alum who graduated recently with a degree in software engineering. A few weeks ago, he sat down at his computer and opened up ChatGPT with a heavy mind.

"Give me some verses from LDS canon about feeling the grace of Jesus," typed Hepworth. He felt weighed down spiritually and could not find relief.

ChatGPT responded with a multitude of verses. Hepworth said that one that caught his attention was Moroni 10:32-33, which is about being perfected in Christ. But as Hepworth read those verses, he was not encouraged.

"That makes it feel inaccessible to me," Hepworth said. "How do you do that?"

As Hepworth engaged further in this conversation with ChatGPT, he said that he achieved a level of spiritual and intellectual understanding that he otherwise would not have reached. He also discovered that he could better articulate how he felt.

"Asking [ChatGPT] helped me understand what this weight is asking me to become," Hepworth said.

Hepworth has been using artificial intelligence as a "sound board" for years.

While on his mission, he discovered that the spiritual and the practical sides of his life felt disconnected. He said that he could not figure out "how divine principles [overlapped] with real-world systems."

"AI became a bridge between the spiritual and the practical," Hepworth said.

Elder David A. Bednar, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave an AI-centered devotional titled "Things as They Really Are 2.0" to young adults on Nov. 3, 2024. In this devotional, Bednar spoke on the positives and negatives of AI.

"We should not be afraid of or attempt to hide from AI," said Elder Bednar. "But the righteous possibilities of this amazing technological tool can be realized only if we are aware of and guard against its perils."

Chase Willden, computer science and engineering professor at BYUI, has used Elder Bednar's devotional as a guide for the university's newly created "Essentials of Artificial Intelligence" class.

This is the first semester the course is being offered, but it will be available going forward as a first-block class. According to Willden, starting in the Winter 2026 semester, BYUI will offer a second-block class focused on "Agentic AI."

Before Willden began teaching at BYUI in 2024, he was a manager at Clearwater Analytics in charge of developing AI for the company's use and training the employees.

"I bought into AI heavily," said Willden.

Willden said he tried to show his colleagues that AI was not going to disrupt them, but rather make them more efficient. He now uses his experience at Clearwater to teach students at BYUI.

Like Hepworth, Willden has successfully used AI to help himself grow spiritually. As Willden noticed parts of his life he wanted to improve, he used AI as a tool to create plans to improve.

"I was able to basically come up with a more hands-on experience on how I could build faith," Willden said. "I am putting the work in to build my faith, but it's helping to assist with the planning."

While AI has helped Hepworth and Willden spiritually, they both issued warnings.

"You need to be really careful with these models," Hepworth said. "Its default is to just affirm you. Seek and ye shall find. AI really does that in both directions."

Willden said that for spiritual well-being, the most important thing is to "have a relationship with [God] and then use AI to supplement."

"Don't treat AI like a golden calf that you're going to worship," Willden said. "It's not the all-knowing."

Despite some drawbacks and potential dangers, according to Hepworth, Willden and Elder Bednar, AI will be a prevalent part of society moving forward.