The Image of God in the Age of AI (w/ Tomer Persico)

The Image of God in the Age of AI (w/ Tomer Persico)

The idea that human beings are created in the image of God is a central part of both Jewish and Christian theology, and with the rise of AI it has become perhaps the best example of how ancient religious wisdom can regulate modern technology by reminding us of what we value most of all. If human beings are created in the image of God—if we have something in us that separates us from animals—then we have an idea to rally around, a way to articulate that humanity’s special status needs to be preserved at all cost. The problem is, this theological idea is a lot more unstable than we’d like to admit. I talk to Tomer Persico, research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and author of In God's Image: How Western Civilization Was Shaped by a Revolutionary Idea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Latter-day Saint Way on AI

There is more than one type of religious approach to AI. While the Catholic response has received by far the most media attention, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been developing a response that has a stronger emphasis on practice. I spoke with Elder Gerrit Gong, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, about the church's approach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

A Catholic and a Jew read the pope's AI encyclical together

On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV issued Magnifica Humanitas, a major new document on AI for the world's biggest religion. I talked with Brian Green about what it says, why it was written this way, where it sits in the history of major church documents, and whether it is likely to effect change on the AI industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

There's been an earthquake. We're coming back.

After less than a year from the end of our first season, Belief in the Future is coming back into a world where religion and technology are now crashing into each other. *** Belief is affiliated with the Faith Family Technology Network. It is a production of Sinai and Synapses and is supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation. This episode was edited by M. Louis Gordon, and our production manager is Misha Holleb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

What Could Go Right?

To close out our summer episodes, we're talking with Kevin Kelly, founder of WIRED Magazine and writer about all things tech and culture. Kevin is a devout Christian with an eye toward the ethical good of technology. In our conversation, we cover technological skepticism, the AI identity crisis, the Amish, and much more.  P.S. Check out host David Zvi Kalman's new YouTube channel, Sabbath Mode [https://youtu.be/Or0KqnwTpEU?si=mL2NocpMwxr-533Q], for more in depth conversations about religion and technology. Resources: Kevin's website [https://kk.org/] Kevin's books [https://kk.org/books] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]