AI and Faith

In this conversation, we welcome one of AI and Faith's newest partners to our community. Islamicity is an incredible organization, dedicated to sharing the knowledge and wisdom of Islam with the world. Through the innovative deployment of technology starting back in the 90s and the utilization of AI today, Islamicity teaches us how we can utilize artificial intelligence to benefit both the fol...

Rev. Dr. Justin Lester is a deep and broad thinker and practitioner who is engaging with AI in his church context in cutting edge ways. He pastors Friendship Vallejo Church, located in the heart of Vallejo, California, and he teaches in a variety of academic and church settings. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss Rev. Dr. Justin Lester's own personal faith journey and his approach t...

In an interview with AI and Faith expert Thomas Arnold, we'll talk about how AI is affecting our relationship with death, and with our loved ones who have passed away. We'll delve into how our grieving process is changing, and how that affects what, until today, seemed like a normal, if difficult, part of our lives. Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/ai-and-grief-ga...

AI is being integrated into every element of our world and the human experience. Mourning and death are no exception. From grief bots, to AI ghosts, to robot pet companions, artificial intelligence is beginning to be woven into some of the most personal, difficult, and transformational moments of our lives. In this episode, we explore that intersection. Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.o...

In this episode, we bring together three scholars from the Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist faith, for a deep and meaningful discussion about the roots of consciousness and the implications on ethics. This all leads to the critical question we will all have to answer in the coming year: what ethical obligations do we have to artificial intelligence? Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests ar...

What happens when we outsource our memory, attention, and even compassion to machines? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Jane Compson, associate professor of comparative religion and ethics at the University of Washington-Tacoma, as we explore how Buddhist wisdom relates to thorny questions around AI. Dr. Compson shares her unexpected journey into Buddhism and AI ethics and how Buddhist concepts...

Dr. Nikki Mirghafori enters the deep and evolving terrain of grief, mortality, and emerging technology. Drawing on her dual expertise as an AI scientist and an empowered Buddhist teacher, she explores the ethics and emotional dimensions of grief tech—from “griefbots” and AI-generated afterlives to the speculative reality of mind‑uploading and digital immortality. What happens when algorithms attem...

Our Spring Town Hall brought together two of AI&F's Advisors: Jon Palmer, the General Counsel of Microsoft, in conversation with Kenneth Cukier, the deputy executive editor of The Economist. They discussed the intersections of religion, ethics, law, and policy on business and society. What have been the influences (both positive and negative) that religion has had on US law, legal ethics a...

Expert in AI, philosophy and the law, Barrister and Rabbi Dr. Harris Bor, practices international arbitration and commercial and company litigation from Twenty Essex, a barristers’ chambers in London. In a conversation with Gilad Berenstein, they discuss the politics and policies of AI legislation, as well as, how to navigate between extreme points of view on these topics. They also consider this...

Today's episode is a conversation with Ali-Reza Bhojani, Maria Joseph Israel, SJ and David Zvi Kalman, which was recorded in March 2025. The experts share their perspectives on AI and religious law from their unique background and beliefs. How is that intersection seen in Muslim faith? How is it different from the Jewish and Catholic point of view? Listen now and join us in this conversation....

In this conversation we speak with a true expert at the intersection of AI and Faith, Glen Weyl. He is Founder and Research Lead of the Microsoft Research Project: The Plural Technology Collaboratory. Interviewed by Gilad Berenstein, they dive into the differences between East and West when it comes to the ways AI and technology are woven into religious and spiritual life and more importantly, the...

Join us for an interview with Craig Detweiler and Peter McGowan on the power of storytelling and creativity in the era of AI. Is AI shaping the way creative people work? How has storytelling affected our idea of artificial intelligence? Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of AI and Faith or any of its leadership. Production: Pablo Sa...

Listen to the conversation between our host Gilad Berenstein, Mark Chinen and Sreevas Sahasranamam that bridges the breaking news in AI (Operator and Deepseek) with foreign affairs and spirituality. Bringing together Hindu, Christian, and Jewish perspectives, our experts have listed and worked around the world making this a particularly engaging conversion. Views and opinions expressed by podcast...

Listen to an interview with Chris Skaggs, Founder and Chief Operations Officer of Soma Games and Soma SoulWorks, and Amy and Ryan Green, both award winning video game designers. Recorded in January 2025, they discussed how AI will change the gaming industry in the next few years and how that can affect society. Also, Amy and Ryan Green shared creating video game “That Dragon, Cancer” as a poetic m...

Dive into a thought-provoking conversation with professor Karen Swallow Prior as we discuss her book, "The Evangelical Imagination," and also her intriguing views on AI technologies. Recorded in November 2023, this episode explores the importance of empathy in a polarized world, and a surprising literary insight that connects it all. Discover how AI impacts creativity and human connection, and the...

Join this interview with researcher Rabbanit Sarah Wolkenfeld and Joshua Mendel from December 23rd, 2024. Sefaria, a digital library of Jewish texts, sits at the intersection of ancient tradition and groundbreaking technology. As its Chief Learning Officer, Rabbanit Sarah Wolkenfeld is deeply immersed in the conversation of how we can use Artificial Intelligence to bolster and expand our horizons...

Join us in an interview with Beth Singler and host Pablo Salmones. Professor Singler’s work explores the social, ethical, philosophical and religious implications of advances in AI and robotics and has published widely on these subjects. They discussed how AI is impacting different cultures around the world and the ethical implications of AI in the internet culture. Views and opinions expressed by...

Listen to the conversation between our host Alex Sarkissian and Buddhist scholar and author Peter Hershock. Peter shares what led him to Buddhist practice and his interest in technology. They discuss how Buddhist principles, such as karma, mindfulness and interdependence, can help us better navigate the age of AI, and the opportunities and risks of using AI to support faith practices. Peter and Al...

Join us in an interview with two contributors to our anthology Faithful AI, Whitney Whitener and Brian Sigmon. Author of The Nanny , Whitney brings us into the life of a single mother and her futuristic baby monitor. In this episode hosted by Elias Kruger, we talk about the opportunities and dangers of parenting in the age of AI. You can purchase the book on ⁠Amazon⁠ . Views and opinions expressed...

AI&Faith expert Rabbi Daniel Weiner talks about the difficulties of faith reaching younger generations, and how AI might be able to help. This episode also talks about the relationship between religion, art and AI and the increasingly challenging scenario for these disciplines. Listen now to our conversation. Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily r...

Join us in a conversation with two contributors to our published anthology Faithful AI: Stories of Hope from 2045. Peter Rothe, writer of "Project Grace", and David Kim discuss about the intersection of AI and vocation. Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of AI and Faith or any of its leadership. Production: Elias Kruger, Pablo Salmo...

Today's episode is a recorded town hall with Daren Erisman, Gretchen Huizinga, and Adam Graber. In the town hall, the AIF experts talked about differing Christian perspectives and how recent advances in generative artificial intelligence are raising issues, not only about what we're doing with AI, but what we're becoming with AI. From the use of AI related tools like prayer apps to exploring the p...

Join us for a thoughtful conversation with author Chris Braniff and essay writer Shanen Boettcher, PhD on how AI, VR and AR will be transforming religious experience in coming future. We covered a range of topics such as authority, digital spirituality and the limitations of big tech religion. This is especially relevant to clergy trying to discern the growing role of AI in ministry. You can purch...

Join us for a discussion on AI and Work with other AI and Faith experts. Recorded in June of 2024, they talk about how AI will impact work in the future and how faith, jobs, work, and AI ethics intersect. This conversation includes Mark Graves, Elias Kruger, Quintin McGrath, Michael Paulus and Daniel Heck. Dive into this insightful, grounded conversation that our experts were able to bring to the...

Join us in this interview with two contributors to our recently published anthology,  Faithful Al, Stories of Hope from 2045 . In his short story, Julian Dreiman explores the struggle an indigenous man goes through to find community in a futuristic Al saturated Chilean society. Brian Green responds to the story with an essay on how technology is changing human relationships. You can purchase the b...