Conference Report: “Minding the Gap”: Religious Education in the Face of Artificial Intelligence

Under the title “Minding the Gap": Religious Education in the Face of Artificial Intelligence, an expert conference took place at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt from September 22 to 24, 2025. Organized in cooperation by Dr. Dr. Mariusz Chrostowski (Eichstätt) and Prof. Dr. Johannes Heger (Würzburg) and supported by the Thyssen Foundation, the event brought together a wide range of academic and practice-oriented perspectives. Contributions were offered by Prof. Dr. Karl Peböck, Prof. Dr. Viera Pirker, Yasemin Amber, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Idris Nassery, Prof. Dr. Johannes Grössl, Prof. Dr. Konstantin Lindner, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Grümme, Prof. Dr. Christian Weiß, Simon Kluge, Prof. Dr. Thomas Schlag, Dr. Eva-Maria Leven, Dipl. theol. Barbara Mack, Prof. Dr. Manfred Pirner, Dr. Michael Winklmann, Dr. Jens Palkowitsch-Kühl, and Prof. Dr. Ilona Nord.

The conference provided a diverse forum for exchange and discussion. It highlighted that artificial intelligence is already shaping educational processes today and will challenge both theology and religious education even more intensively in the future. Further information on the individual contributions can be found in the flyer. In the summer of 2026, an edited volume will be published by Herder, bringing together the conference results and making them accessible for further scholarly discussion.