Growing in Faith in the Age of AI: Loyola Institute for Ministry Awarded Lilly Endowment Planning Grant

NEW ORLEANS — The Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM) at Loyola University New Orleans has
been awarded a planning grant through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Growing in Faith in the Age of
Artificial Intelligence Initiative, an invitational initiative designed to help young adults engage
questions of faith in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

At a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how young people learn,
communicate, form relationships, access information and seek meaning, the grant will allow LIM
to explore how faith formation can help young adults thoughtfully navigate both the opportunities
and challenges presented by AI and other emerging technologies.

According to Lilly Endowment Inc., the initiative seeks to help young people “draw on the
wisdom of Christian traditions and engage in spiritual practices to navigate the complexities of digital technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, enhance their overall well-
being and deepen their faith.”

Through the planning grant, LIM will undertake a period of listening, research and collaboration
focused on the ethical, spiritual and relational dimensions of artificial intelligence. The institute
will explore innovative approaches to faith formation that help young people develop the wisdom
and spiritual grounding to engage emerging technologies while remaining attentive to questions
of human dignity, Catholic Social Teaching, relationships, well-being, community and faith.

The work aligns closely with LIM’s longstanding mission of preparing leaders for ministry
through integrated theological reflection, practical application and a commitment to serving the
needs of the Church and society. For decades, LIM has equipped pastoral ministers, educators and faith leaders to respond thoughtfully to changing social and cultural realities while remaining
grounded in Catholic and Ignatian traditions.

Artificial intelligence presents a new and particularly consequential context for that mission. As
AI becomes increasingly embedded in education, communication, work and everyday life, LIM
recognizes that preparing young people for the future involves more than teaching them how to
use new technologies. It also requires creating opportunities to ask deeper questions about how
those technologies influence human relationships, personal identity, decision-making, spiritual
life and our understanding of what it means to live well.

“Rooted in Loyola’s Jesuit commitment to educating the whole person, this project will help
young adults develop the wisdom, resilience and discernment to engage AI and emerging
technologies responsibly,” said Tracey Lamont, Ph.D., director of the Loyola Institute for
Ministry. “Our goal is to help them use technology in ways that strengthen faith, community an human flourishing.”

The Lilly Endowment grant also comes amid a broader university-wide examination of the role
artificial intelligence will play in the future of education.

In August, Loyola convened an invitation-only AI Braintrust Summit, bringing together leaders
with experience across major technology, business, healthcare and professional services
organizations to engage university leadership in conversations about AI’s implications for
teaching, learning, the workforce and higher education.

The Braintrust is helping inform Loyola’s broader approach to becoming an AI-ready institution while remaining grounded in the values at the heart of Jesuit education. LIM’s Lilly Endowment-
supported work adds an important dimension to that effort by focusing specifically on the spiritual formation and well-being of young adults.

“Artificial intelligence is not simply a technological development. It raises important questions
about how we teach, learn and remain centered on the human person,” said Erin Foster, Ph.D.,
Vice Provost for Teaching, Research, and Learning at Loyola University New Orleans.  “These initiatives reflect Loyola’s commitment to approaching AI thoughtfully and responsibly, guided by our Jesuit values and a focus on human flourishing.”

For a Jesuit university, that means considering not only what AI can do, but how people should
use it; how technology affects relationships and communities; how innovation can serve human
dignity and the common good; and how faith and discernment can help the next generation
navigate a rapidly changing world.

Through the Lilly Endowment planning grant, LIM will help bring those questions directly into the
work of faith formation, exploring how the wisdom of Christian tradition and the practices of
Ignatian discernment can equip young people to encounter an AI-shaped future with wisdom,
resilience, purpose and hope.