The "battle" between religion and technology is less of a direct war and more of a centuries-long evolution. It encompasses both deep philosophical conflict and remarkable adaptation, shifting from early struggles over the nature of the cosmos to modern debates about human enhancement, artificial intelligence, and digital distractions.
We recall in our history books Galileo’s conflict with the Catholic Church, which centered on his support for heliocentrism—the theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun. In 1633, the Roman Inquisition forced the devout Catholic astronomer to recant his views, banned his books, and sentenced him to house arrest for the rest of his life.
Can AI be conscious? Why are tech leaders increasingly turning to faith leaders for guidance? And what happens when the world's oldest belief systems collide with its newest technology?
Nothing exemplifies this more than the premiere episode analyzing the Pope’s 42,000-word encyclical on artificial intelligence, a landmark document developed with leaders from the technology sector, including Anthropic, whose co-founder appeared alongside the Pope at its public debut.
Belief in the Future helps listeners understand this world where religion and technology are now crashing into each other.
So far, this season has already explored what makes humans unique in an age of AI and how major faith traditions like Mormonism are translating ancient beliefs into modern AI policy, featuring conversations with Tomer Persico and Elder Gerrit Gong.
As AI transforms society, faith communities are becoming key voices in debates about consciousness, morality, and what it means to be human. Episodes will examine how AI consciousness and welfare are colliding with age-old ideas about the mind and soul; how tech
companies are increasingly using religious language and seeking guidance from faith leaders and institutions, like the Vatican; and faith based attempts to regulate AI at the state, federal, and global levels. Faith communities are adopting AI tools for everything from sermon writing to religious education, so, where are they drawing their ethical boundaries?
"One way or another, religion is going to be entwined in the AI conversation,” says host DZ Kalman. "We need to understand that this is not some sideshow and will impact AI's development trajectory."
Host DZ Kalman is a researcher, writer, and educator working at the intersection of religion and technology, studying how religious traditions can provide a moral framework for fast-moving
technological developments. He is a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, where he leads a research group on Judaism and Artificial Intelligence, and serves as Senior Advisor at Sinai and Synapses. His PhD from the University of Pennsylvania was among the first sustained studies of how Jewish history and the history of technology intersect.
The show is affiliated with the Family Faith Technology Network, is a project of Sinai and Synapses, and is funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation. The second season kicked off on May 29th, 2026.
On the June 11th episode -- The Latter-day Saint Way on AI -- host DZ Kalman says: "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." On the show, Kalman spoke with Elder Gerrit Gong, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, about the church's approach.
As DZ Kalman says, "One way or another, religion is going to be entwined in the AI conversation. We need to understand that this is not some sideshow and will impact AI's development trajectory."
Belief in the Future is an important citadel of discussion about religion, technology, specifically AI, and how these forces interact and coalesce.
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