Alfred Biehler on Why the Biggest Barrier to Innovation Is Fear

What if the biggest barrier to kingdom innovation isn't a lack of technology, but fear? Alfred Biehler has seen it inside one of the world's most innovative companies, and he believes the church doesn't have to be held back by it.

Alfred describes himself first as "a child of God, transformed by Christ." Discovering how deeply God loves him, he says, changed who he is and what he does. His career has spanned his own startups, ten years at Microsoft and 13 years at Google in London, where he finished as head of innovation, a title he chose himself and used until it stuck.

When organizations came to Google asking about innovation, Alfred was often the one sent to advise them. Because the question was so open, he could first ask the Lord what He wanted to say to that organization, and then lead with it. His calling is to bring kingdom values into business, and he counts it a privilege that his calling and his work align.

We sat down with Alfred at Missional AI London 2025.

A frightened church and confused boardrooms

The church often avoids AI out of fear, while many business leaders don't yet understand it, yet real, practical innovation is happening on the ground.

Commercial organizations and churches are very different, Alfred says. The church, in general, is scared of AI as a "monster" and stays away, which he sees as a great missed opportunity. There are good places to use AI, higher-risk places to be careful, and some places it should never be used. But the church doesn't need to be afraid.

In business, senior leaders often have no clue, and Alfred doesn't blame them. They're already juggling new legislation, tariffs, shifting markets, new competitors and cybersecurity. That's why much of his work advising boards on innovation starts with a simple explanation of what AI is.

There's plenty of marketing fluff about "using AI," he says. But at the grassroots, he sees beautiful things happening: people solving real problems with machine learning and other AI where it's appropriate. Customer service is the most common example, and there's much more to come. If he never has to fight an insurance or gas company's system again, that'll be great. AI has also prompted businesses to look again at what maths and computers can do.

AI is opening new questions, and new doors for mission

AI is prompting people to ask deeper questions about meaning and value, while also freeing missionaries to spend more time with people.

What excites Alfred most is that AI's rise has sparked new questions from ordinary people: What's my value? Where do I fit? What does the future hold? Where will I work if AI takes my job? Where are the ethical boundaries? A few years ago, many people's concerns were simply landing a job, a car and a house. These new questions create fresh openings for gospel conversations.

AI also brings practical gains. Translation is an obvious one. Missionaries can spend less time "cranking a handle" on routine tasks and more time talking with people and building relationships. Alfred was also encouraged by a summit talk on using AI in fundraising, not to manipulate donors, but to be more sensitive to them and their circumstances.

Inspiring and enthusiastic: innovation is collaborative

AI works best as a collaborator, and innovation flows from the Spirit at work in God's people.

Can AI support the innovation process itself? Absolutely, Alfred says; in fact, collaboration is the only way to use it. Large language models are very good at understanding language, but grasping the nuance of humor, culture and context takes human discernment.

He shares two words he'd love to be described by: inspiring and enthusiastic. He hears "in spirit" in the first and, in the second, the Greek entheos, "God within." Every believer, in business or ministry, carries God's Spirit and can be a source of inspiration that leads to innovation and creativity.

Alfred gets the best from chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT when he pushes back and argues with their answers. That's collaboration between him and the tool. But working with other people, he says, gets even better results.

The biggest barrier is fear

The lesson Alfred most wants ministries to take from Google is that fear, not capability, is what holds organizations back.

He saw it on both sides at Google, and he sees it in the organizations he's involved with now: fear of failure, "we've never done it like that," "that'll cost too much." Even when God has said to do something, fear holds us back from where He wants us to be.

Alfred admits he wrestles with it regularly. But as 2 Timothy 1:7 says, God has not given us a spirit of fear. So he works to root his actions not in fear, like worrying about the bills coming in, but in what God is saying: What's Jesus' perspective on this? What is the Spirit guiding me to do now?

The interviewer adds advice from a mentor that sums it up: never build from a place of fear; always build from love.

Watch Alfred's talk from Missional AI London

Alfred also spoke on the main stage at Missional AI London 2025. You can watch his talk in the Missional AI Video Library under London 2025, or in the London 2025 playlist on YouTube.

Listen and join the conversation

Listen to the full episode with Alfred Biehler on the Missional AI Podcast, and subscribe so you don't miss future conversations.

Join us April 7–9, 2026, in Silicon Valley for the Missional AI 2026 Global Summit, where around 800 leaders from hundreds of organizations will explore the intersection of Christian mission and AI. Early-bird pricing is available until March 10, and attendees can get 25% off at our partner hotels. Register at missional.ai.

This episode was made possible in partnership with Gloo, the technology platform connecting the faith ecosystem.