The Documentary PodcastThe Vatican's AI Battle

As Silicon Valley races to build machines that can think, create and perhaps surpass human intelligence, the Vatican has emerged as one of the most prominent global voices questioning the path the tech billionaires are setting for us.

Key points

• In Rome, Isobel Cockerell explores whether the answer to that age-old question survives contact with the era of artificial intelligence.
• Isobel additionally speaks to tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, known for his radical efforts to defeat human ageing and live forever.
• This episode of Heart and Soul examines whether an institution built on ancient tradition can meaningfully shape the direction of the most disruptive technology of our time.

What happened

In Rome, Isobel Cockerell explores whether the answer to that age-old question survives contact with the era of artificial intelligence. She turns to Father Michael Baggot, a Catholic priest and professor who teaches courses on AI, ethics and transhumanism at Vatican universities. A regular at meetings between clergy and tech leaders, he sees Silicon Valley's vision of AI as quasi-religious in its claims to end uncertainty, suffering, and even death. "I also belong to a religion that believes in eternal life, " he notes. He's conflicted regarding the ambitions of the tech elite. He hopes AI can lead to "human flourishing" but sees, in his pastoral life, how AI can devalue the particularly human acts of caring and sacrificing for the good of others.

Isobel additionally speaks to tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, known for his radical efforts to defeat human ageing and live forever. He tells us that in building superintelligent AI, humanity may in fact be building God. He points to a future in which "this emergent structure of power is no longer human-centric."

This episode of Heart and Soul examines whether an institution built on ancient tradition can meaningfully shape the direction of the most disruptive technology of our time. And it invites believers and sceptics alike to consider what impact artificial intelligence might have on humanity.

The bottom line

For now, the Documentary PodcastThe Vatican' s AI Battle remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.