Who is Professor Peter Robinson? - a little background information please.
I was born in the early 1950s, studied mathematics at university, and then switched to computing at postgraduate level. I have been working in computer science ever since and am now a professor of technology at the University of Cambridge.
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What led you to work in computer science / computer technology?
My father worked in computing technology back in the 1950s, so he was working with computers around the time I was born. Therefore, I knew about computers when there were very few around. When I was at school, I taught myself how to program computers, and that was in the 1960s! When I was young, I wanted to be an inventor, and I guess technology is always reinventing itself, so that is what I do.
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Do you have anything in mind that you intend to invent?
No, that is the beauty of research - everything comes as a complete surprise when you stumble across it. I have done things that I think will be useful and interesting. Some of them have worked but nobody else is interested in them, and some of them haven’t worked. That’s what research is about - making mistakes.
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Let’s go a little bit into religion. Some people think science is proving religion wrong. What do you think about this?
I understand what they are saying, and speaking for myself, when I was an undergraduate mathematician, I was a fairly committed atheist. A Christian friend pointed out to me one night in a bar that my atheism was just an act of faith, and it was this that changed my mind about Christianity. It takes more faith to believe that creation is just an accident than to understand that there is a creator behind it.
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Have you ever found something out via the science you do that caused you to question your faith?
I do question my faith, because it is an intellectual matter and it would be wrong not to think about it. Yes, I do think about it, and of course my distinguished colleague here in Cambridge, Stephen Hawking, argued very coherently for the non-existence of God. Obviously, I read what he said, and I have spoken to him. However, I maintain that his position is just an act of faith that must have led him to that that conclusion. My current work involves the interaction between people and machines. This has led me to investigate the interaction between people and robots, and human attitudes towards robots. There is a view that robots are going to become “synths” and take over the world. This is complete nonsense, but it does tell us something about the nature of mankind that we think it will happen. It seems to me that people are imagining robots will become like them, so it is interesting that they also perceive robots as malicious. In that way my scientific work has led me to better understand the fallen nature of mankind, which reinforces my understanding about the need for a redeemer, the freedom we’ve been given by our creator and our fallen nature.
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What is your take on robot humans and God? For instance, should man be bothered about robots and should God be bothered about human enterprises on artificial intelligence?
We should be worried about computer systems, but not because they’re going to become synths and take over the world. We should be worried about the usual motivations of any profession that involves computers. I think a lot of computer systems are built by people who are perhaps less competent than they should be, so they make mistakes. Consequently, we get results like stock market crashes, caused by automatic trading systems. We might say the manipulation of elections through social media are caused by computers, but it is the people behind it who are at fault. 
These are just problems of humanity. We make mistakes, we are incompetent, and we have poor motivations. We do bad things and we do them by using whatever technology is available. It is not the technology itself that is evil or wicked; it is the people using it.
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It is not the technology itself that is evil or wicked; it is the people using it.

​Should God be bothered about human enterprises on artificial intelligence?
God is immensely bothered about human enterprises. That’s the evidence we have in the Bible; that God wanted to be in relationship with us and wanted us to have relationships with each other. However, our relationships with each other are broken and we no longer walk with God in the garden; we are remote from Him. It has nothing to do with technology, but we should be concerned by the fact that God wants us to be in relationship with Him. Jesus said that through His grace we can restore that relationship. That’s more important and matters more to God than our making an intelligence system or robots. Technology is just one aspect of the abilities God has given us, as custodians of His creation. Part of that involves inventions. Sometimes we use invention as a bad thing; that’s just because we are fallen.

With the advancement of human nature there are lots of ethical concerns. In your view, how can someone be involved in this field to the glory of God?
That is a good and difficult question, and I don’t honestly know the answer. But clearly as a technologist, I make technologies and I hope that those technologies will be of value to human kind. That is a contribution to humanity and through doing it with appropriate motivations can be to the Glory of God.

Any advice for Christian science students or early career scientists who want to look at faith and science?
The best advice I can give comes from a previous pastor of our church, who was speaking on how to conduct your life as a Christian. He was explaining that the role of the church in social work or political matters is to teach the Bible to its members, so that they can go and serve the world in whatever way it might be. 
The most important thing for a scientist and any Christian is to make sure your personal walk with God is in a good place. This means quiet times and private Bible study and prayer every day. Over a lifetime, I have realised that the only realistic time to do that is early in the morning. Starting the day in this way means you remember that you are part of God’s creation as you are working. You remember what God has done for you through Jesus.  You are then ready to settle down for a day’s work in a Godly way.  It’s not like you are a scientist who happens to be a Christian; you are a Christian who happens to be a scientist. Ensuring your walk with God is right should be your priority, and then every other thing will flow from there.

About Professor Peter Robinson

Peter Robinson is Professor of Computer Technology at the University of Cambridge in England, where he works on problems at the boundary between people and computers. This involves investigating new technologies to enhance communication between computers and their users, and new applications to exploit these technologies. His recent work has included desk-size projected displays, emotionally intelligent interfaces and applications in semi-autonomous vehicles.

Peter Robinson arrived at university as a convinced atheist, but the logic of the accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection convinced him otherwise.  However, it took him a few more years to realise God's grace in reaching out to us, and he's still learning 50 years later.

About the interviewer - Omololu Fagunwa

Omololu Fagunwa is Microbiology doctoral student at the University of Huddersfield. He had previously studied theology and obtained M.Th (ministry) and PhD in Christian Social Work. Omololu is passionate about interaction of religion with contemporary themes such as science, technology and international development.