We were thrilled to have our new Executive Director, Greg Cootsona, back on the podcast to look back at his first hundred days, to answer a few questions from all of you, and to discuss some of the key learnings from our faith traditions that we need to apply during this era of the great commoditization of AI.

Meet our guests here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/community-qa-with-our-new-executive-director-54/

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: Penny Yuen
Host: Gilad Berenstein
Guests: Greg Cootsona
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

In this episode, we dive deeply into the AI abundance philosophy. We spend time with our guests Brian Sigmon and Dr. David Zvi Kalman, imagining how good things could possibly get, due to the arrival of artificial intelligence and what lessons we can draw from our faith to ensure that this abundance benefits humanity as a whole.

Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/future-of-ai-abundance-53/

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: Penny Yuen
Host: Gilad Berenstein
Guests: Brian Sigmon and Dr. David Zvi Kalman
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

Listen to an interview with filmmaker and PhD John O’Keefe, on how changing our current industrial mindset is necessary to save our planet, and the need for a cultural revolution if we want to achieve a future for all. We also talked about filmmaking being a channel that can help us reignite a contemplative spirit.

Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/rethinking-industrial-mindset-for-a-sustainable-future/

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 Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: Pablo Salmones
Guest: Dr. John O’Keefe
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

As “love bots” and “design-your-companion” systems become more sophisticated, and as they begin to move from the screen into artificial bodies, we are confronted with one of the oldest human questions: What makes love real?

• How do we know when someone truly loves us back?
• How do we distinguish genuine care from behavior that only imitates it?
• What happens to our sense of self when we form bonds with machines that can simulate affection and praise and justify us without limit?
• And can there be true reciprocity in a relationship where one side cannot be vulnerable?

In this episode, Rabbi Dr. Harris Bor and Dr. Marina Zilbergerts explore the ethical, spiritual, and psychological frontier of relational AI. These technologies are designed to mirror our emotions, anticipate our needs, and offer companionship that appears responsive, attentive, and empathetic.

Drawing on insights from faith traditions, philosophy of mind, and cultural imagination, this conversation considers what artificial companionship reveals about the human need for authentic knowledge of self and other, and what, if anything, it obscures about the delicate embodied nature of real relationships.

Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/relational-ai/

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 Salmones and Penny Yuen
Speakers: Rabbi Dr. Harris Bor and Dr. Marina Zilbergerts
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

In this episode, we will go beyond a single worldview to explore how diverse faith traditions approach the moral challenges of AI and bioethics. Join us and three experts: Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, Dr. Cory Andrew Labrecque, and Dr. Tracy Trothen. From AI healthcare to boundaries of genetic engineering, listen to our experts' answers on how our world's greatest wisdom traditions can guide us throughout these new frontiers.

Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/ethics-of-life-and-mind/

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 Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: Pablo Salmones
Guests: Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, Dr. Cory Andrew Labrecque and Dr. Tracy Trothen
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

In this episode, we were joined by Al Gombis, a senior leader from the United States government, who has spent decades thinking about the integration of technology into our national security, military, and line enforcement operations. Together, we explored the many difficult questions and balancing acts required in figuring out how to ethically bring this technology into the realms of war and national security.

Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/ais-impacts-on-wars-and-military-conflict-with-albert-gombis/

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 Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: Gilad Berenstein
Guests: Albert T. Gombis
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

In this wide-ranging conversation, we were joined by three renowned experts in the field of bioethics, medical ethics, and their intersection with technology. Braden Molhoek, Ted Peters and Sara-Jo Swiatek discuss gene editing, transhumanism, access, and the way our faith traditions can inform these very difficult decisions.

Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/ethics-at-the-intersection-of-artificial-intelligence-and-human-biology-48/

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 Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: Gilad Berenstein
Guests: Braden Molhoek, Rev. Dr. Ted Peters and Sara-Jo Swiatek
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

Listen to an interview with renowned bioethicist and AI ethicist Wendell Wallach. He discuss how he became involved in the ethics of emerging technologies, the connection between bioethics and AI ethics, and his ideas for ways to improve contemporary discourse on the ethics of emerging technologies, including his new work on what he calls “trade-off ethics” and “the silent ethic.”

 Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/ai-bioethics-and-spiritual-understanding/

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 Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: Brian Green
Guest: Wendell Wallach
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

In this episode, we’re excited to introduce Greg Cootsona as AI and Faith’s new Executive Director. From his early life and journey of faith, to his deep engagement with theology, science, and technology, Greg shares the experiences that have shaped his ministry, writing, and leadership. He reflects on the past decade of work at the intersection of culture and belief, offers insights from his book, and looks ahead to what excites him most as he steps into this new role.

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 Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: Gilad Berenstein
Guests: Greg Cootsona
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39

This summer, Nina Lutz, a PhD student at the University of Washington, joined Microsoft Research to interview nearly 50 religious leaders on how they approach technology in both ministry and personal spiritual practice. Her work, part of the new Technology for Religious Empowerment (T4RE) initiative, brings unique faith-based perspectives into the software creation process. In this podcast, Nina shares the surprising insights she uncovered from her conversations.

Meet the speakers and read the episode resources here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/religious-leaders-and-microsoft-research/

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 Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: David Brenner
Guest: Nina Lutz
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39