Pastors Alan Hannah and Spencer Sweeting are joined by Dr. Larry Heimann—Carnegie Mellon University professor, MIT grad, ACAC elder, and AI expert—for a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation about artificial intelligence. Together the crew unpacks how AI is shaping everyday life, from sermon prep to software design, and explores the theological and ethical implications of this rapidly changing technology. With depth, humor, and humility, they wrestle with what it means to be faithful image-bearers in an age of machines that “think.”

In this episode:

·       Using AI in ministry (and what “AI-assisted, not AI-generated” means)

·       Dr. Heimann’s journey to finding Christ at MIT

·       The difference between machine learning and generative AI

·       Examples of AI in daily life

·       The human side of technology: why spiritual encounter still matters more than information

·       Ethical guardrails, hallucinations, and how faith can influence technology for good

·       Raising and mentoring the next generation to be wise AI users

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome & banter – “This one’s a heady one!”

00:54 Who is Dr. Larry Heimann? (CMU, MIT, ACAC elder)

02:30 AI use in ministry life

07:10 “AI-assisted, not AI-generated” – finding healthy boundaries

12:07 The danger of skipping the hard work of learning

15:22 Meet Dr. Larry Heimann

27:33 “What’s in your headphones?” – from Bach to Biggie

33:01 Teaching app development & getting under the hood

36:18 What is AI? (Machine Learning vs. Generative AI)

46:20 The morality question: will AI replace or rule over us?

57:00 AI, bias, and the problem of “hallucinations”

1:09:53 Creativity, laziness, and preparing the next generation 

1:19:43 Guardrails for families and healthy habits with tech

1:26:18 Closing thoughts & takeaway

Resources Mentioned

·       Evidence That Demands a Verdict – Josh McDowell

·       More Than a Carpenter – Josh & Sean McDowell

·       Wesley Huff – Christian apologist and speaker (YouTube / podcast)

·       Frank Turek – CrossExamined (podcast, books, and videos)

·       The Bible Project – Podcast & resources on biblical theology

·       Honestly with Bari Weiss – cultural and current events podcast

·       Wrinkly – Bible memorization app for iOS & Android (created by Ryan O’Dowd, mentored by Dr. Heimann)

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Follow Alan Hannah: @alan_hannah

Follow Spencer Sweeting: @spencersweeting