AO Lab: Building an Open Ecosystem for God's Word

As Christians and technologists, we’re always on the lookout for tools that help advance the Great Commission while honoring our faith values. That’s why I’m excited to share AO Lab with you. AO Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to love and live out God’s Word. In their own words, they aim “to make the Bible freely available to anyone who should need it in a format that is optimized for use by applications.”

Their open-source approach emphasizes unity, collaboration, and generosity – truly “freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8). In practice, that means AO Lab creates and shares completely free tools and content to equip Christians worldwide.

Core Values and Practices

Unity & Collaboration

AO Lab works across ministry and technical lines, bringing Christians together to build shared solutions rather than competing with each other.

Open-Source, Freely-Given Resources

Every tool and dataset they create is open and free, with no hidden fees or restrictive licenses. In fact, their Bible API explicitly states “no usage limits, no API Keys required, and no copyright restrictions whatsoever.”

Equipping the Global Church

From urban programmers in New York to rural missionaries in India, AO Lab’s passion is to put high-quality discipleship and Bible tools into anyone’s hands. Their work is driven by the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and a desire to see Christians everywhere empowered, not held back by tech barriers.

The Free Use Bible API: High-Quality Text, No Strings Attached

Perhaps the most immediately useful project AO Lab has launched is their Free Use Bible API (also called the “Open Bible API”). This is a JSON-based Bible service that solves a huge problem for Christian developers: the copyright and license restrictions on most popular translations.

Key Features

• Easy JSON access to 1,000+ translations: Query books, chapters, and verses in a simple JSON format. The API even includes basic formatting markup and footnotes for many versions.
• Globally hosted for low latency: The API runs on AWS (and/or Cloudflare) so it’s fast anywhere in the world. No matter where your users are, verses load quickly and reliably.
• Completely free and unrestricted: No API keys, no rate limits, and no copyright restrictions at all. You can use it in apps, websites, or even commercial products without worrying about licenses.
• Powered by public-domain translations: The backbone of this service is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB) and related Berean texts, which are fully public domain as of 2023.

Developers have been thrilled. Previously, most Bible APIs required keys and had usage restrictions, or only offered older public-domain texts (like the KJV). AO Lab’s API changes that. As one example, the site copy.church – which compares Bible licenses – shows the BSB scoring a perfect 12/12 for shareability, while versions like NIV (3/12) and ESV (1/12) are heavily restricted.

Berean Partnership & Bible Licensing

The AO Lab team went out of their way to partner with the Berean Bible Translation Committee to make this work. The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a brand-new English translation built on the best Hebrew/Greek manuscripts. Its translators intentionally released it under an open license: as the Berean website says, “the Scriptures are meant to be studied and shared freely” and they are creating digital resources “free to access and free to share” in apps and software.

In April 2023, the entire BSB and Berean Literal Bible were officially dedicated to the public domain. This collaboration is win-win: the BSB gets wider adoption and the world gets a new open translation, and Christian developers finally have the Bible data they need.

Innovative Projects on the Horizon

AO Lab isn’t stopping with the Bible API. They have several exciting projects in development:

AO.bot / CasualOS

They’ve released an open-source game engine and IDE called AO.bot (based on the CasualOS framework). It’s designed for real-time, context-aware interactive experiences – think custom educational games or simulations that teach faith concepts. It’s MIT-licensed, and tech-savvy ministries can use it to build unique Bible-based experiences.

The Seed Bible

AO Lab has branded a platform called the Seed Bible (coming 2025) which is envisioned as “both a product and a product template any ministry can use.” It will let churches or missions create a customized digital Bible experience (branding, notes, modules, etc.) that they can share with their community.

Future Initiatives

Their roadmap includes:

• Open-source translation tools
• Discipleship apps
• Christian AR/VR experiences
• Bible translation workflows
• Community annotation tools

How You Can Get Involved

AO Lab is a grassroots nonprofit, so they rely on the community (and prayers!) to keep going. Here’s how you can help:

1. Pray

This work is ultimately spiritual. Pray for their staff and volunteers, and for openness and unity as churches adopt these tools.

2. Donate

As a 501(c)(3), AO Lab accepts tax-deductible donations. Even a small gift helps pay for servers, development time, and outreach.

3. Test and Give Feedback

Try out their tools: hit the Free Use Bible API, or explore AO.bot. Let them know what works, what could improve, and how you use (or want to use) the technology.

4. Partner or Volunteer

If you or your organization has skills in software, design, translation, or discipleship, reach out! They’re always open to collaboration.

5. Spread the Word

Share AO Lab’s vision with your church, tech meetup, or on social media. Encourage others in Christian tech and church leadership to check out their work.

Get Started Today

For more details and updates, visit AO Lab’s website and sign up for their newsletter. You’ll find guides, reference docs, and news about their latest releases.

AO Lab’s work demonstrates that with faith and creativity, we can build digital tools that truly reflect the character of the gospel. They’re solving real problems (like Bible licensing) with ingenious tech, and they’re doing it in a spirit of generosity and unity.

It’s inspiring to see Christians “giving freely” of high-quality resources so that others can learn, grow, and make disciples. I hope you’ll check out what they’re doing and consider how you might support them – whether by prayer, a financial gift, testing their API, or just starting a conversation about open-source ministry tech.

Let’s work together to take the Good News farther and wider than ever – and AO Lab is a partner well worth rooting for. Visit helloao.org today to learn more and get involved.