Episodes

  • Islam and AI (w/ Waleed Kadous)

    Islam and AI (w/ Waleed Kadous)
    Jun 26 2026
    As a decentralized faith, Islam does not have one single approach to AI. Muslim communities are constructing norms around AI usage in religious scholarship and sermon-writing through a mix of guidance from religious leaders and emergent communal practice. I talked to Waleed Kadous, the creator of Islamic AI assistant Ansari, about how the technology is shaping not only Islamic scholarship but our value systems and real world politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • The Image of God in the Age of AI (w/ Tomer Persico)

    The Image of God in the Age of AI (w/ Tomer Persico)
    Jun 18 2026
    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
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    52 mins
  • The Latter-day Saint Way on AI

    The Latter-day Saint Way on AI
    Jun 11 2026
    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
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    31 mins
  • A Catholic and a Jew read the pope's AI encyclical together

    A Catholic and a Jew read the pope's AI encyclical together
    May 29 2026
    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
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • There's been an earthquake. We're coming back.

    There's been an earthquake. We're coming back.
    May 13 2026
    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
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    6 mins
  • What Could Go Right?

    What Could Go Right?
    Aug 27 2025
    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, for more in depth conversations about religion and technology. Resources: Kevin's website Kevin's books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • The Two Codes

    The Two Codes
    Aug 20 2025
    BIG NEWS: Belief in the Future now has a YouTube channel: Sabbath Mode. Go check it out before listening to the episode Coding is one part skill, one part magic, and one part tradition. But when AI use takes out the conversation of code -- the necessary language of the code itself -- can the tradition be kept alive? How do we keep something living and growing without passing along its stories, its trials and errors, and its complexities? On this episode, host David Zvi Kalman speaks with scientist Samuel Arbesman about his new book, The Magic of Code, and the ways that religion and coding reflect one another. Resources: The Magic of Code by Samuel Arbesman The poetic web Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • Are AI Sermons a Good Thing?

    Are AI Sermons a Good Thing?
    Aug 12 2025
    Religious organizations, like all other organizations, are beginning to use AI. Some of these uses are unremarkable, but others bring AI into the business of delivering religious messages. In this episode, host DZ Kalman speaks with religion and AI evangelist Kenny Jahng about the tools he sees churches adapting and what it means to use AI as a tool for evangelism. Resources: Kenny Jahng's website Futureproof, by Kevin Roose Exponential NEXT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins