Belief in the Future
David Zvi Kalman
Technology and religion sometimes seem like oil and water, but they've been crossing paths for centuries and aren't going to stop. Hosted by David Zvi Kalman. New episode every other week.Belief in the Future is a production of Sinai and Synapses. It was made with support from Templeton World Charity Foundation.
The Wild World of Bible Apps
We often think about how technology has influenced religion, but we rarely question the opposite: how has religion pushed technological advancement? In the case of Christianity, software to share the Bible has been in development for decades and has been shaping tech advancement behind the scenes for even longer. On this episode, we're talking to John Dyer, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of the new book People of the Screen that details the entwined history of software
Feb 26, • 45:43
The Church that wants to build God
What if AI and religion had a converging relationship rather than a parallel one? In Professor Beth Singler's new book, Religion and Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction, she explores how enmeshed technology and religion are in our current era, and how we as a society may be heading toward the creation and worship of a god-like AI. Reading list: Roko’s Basilisk or Pascal’s? Thinking of Singularity Thought Experiments as Implicit ReligionThe TESCREAL bundle: Eugenics and the promise of utopi
Jan 17, • 39:12
The Temptation of AI Christ
The confessional booth is usually a private space for reflection and human connection. But what if, on the other side of the wall, you discovered you were asking forgiveness from a robot? This week, we're talking to Marco Schmid, the theologian at St. Peter's Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, about how his church uses AI to guide people to and through their prayer. You can read more about St. Peter's Chapel and its AI program on NPR or The Guardian, or join AI Jesus for an interactive chat on Twit
Dec 24, 2024 • 28:56
Does Religion Have Wisdom for Tech?
Does religion have a role in developing ethical frameworks around technology? On this episode, we're talking to Rabbi Zvika Kreiger, spiritual leader of Chochmat Halev and former Director of Responsible Innovation at Facebook. Zvika and host David Zvi Kalman dive into the Metaverse and discuss how religious leaders can lean into technology, and what separation of tech and religion looks like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 3, 2024 • 45:36
Is Tech Too Fast to be Governed?
Technology moves quickly – often times faster than governments can create laws to regulate it. So how do we adapt our lawmaking practices to keep up? We’re talking to Gideon Lichfield, a journalist and alum of MIT Technology Review, The Economist, and WIRED Magazine, about how lawmaking can keep up with the fast pace of our digital world, and how government and religion mirror each other when interfacing with new technology. Reading list: Gideon’s newsletter, Futurepolis.The Anxious Generatio
Nov 12, 2024 • 37:43
The Secret Synagogue Tapes
You're not allowed to record in synagogue. But what if you're saving a dying culture?Have a question/tip/criticism? Write to us at our fancy new website, beliefinthefuture.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 22, 2024 • 34:51
The Cantor in the Brothel
What happens when you take synagogue music out of the synagogue?Works mentionedJeremiah Lockwood, Golden Ages: Hasidic Singers and Cantorial Revival in the Digital Era Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 30, 2024 • 15:32
What Silicon Valley Means by "God"
Why do tech CEOs and visionaries use religious language—and what, if anything, does it have to do with organized religion? We talk Mary-Jane Rubenstein, Professor of Religion and Science in Society at Wesleyan, about unity, infinity, simulated realities, NASA, and how human beings have sought to make meaning of their world.Reading List: Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari Astrotopia by Mary-Jane Rubenstein Worlds Without End by Mary-Jane Rubenstein Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler The Ones
Sep 10, 2024 • 39:02
Does AI Need History?
The Greeks dreamed of automata, the Jews of golems, and now we've coded bots into powerful servants. Can our ancient quest for artificial life reveal our ethical obligations to today’s creations? Guest Speaker:Elly Truitt, who holds a Ph.D. in the History of Science from Harvard University and an M.Phil. in Medieval History from the University of Cambridge, is a historian specializing in the circulation of scientific knowledge and objects across Eurasia and North Africa from antiquity to the ear
Aug 27, 2024 • 45:07
Should I Use the Plagiarism Machine?
In this crossover episode of Belief in the Future with Responsa Radio, host David Zvi Kalman dives into whether using generative AI systems like ChatGPT and DALL-E is a form of theft, drawing comparisons to the Jewish tradition of responsa. Back in the day, medieval rabbis often quoted other scholars without giving credit, but it was within a self-referential learning community. If today’s machine learning models can swiftly scrub the web, disregarding attribution, what kind of culture are we fo
Aug 13, 2024 • 54:45
AI and the Baptists
What does evangelical Christianity have to say about AI? Quite a lot, according to Jason Thacker. As Director of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), he oversaw the creation of the organization’s official AI statement of principles—the first put out by any religious denomination—which recommends moral responsibility towards new technology. Thacker and Kalman discuss how the document came to be, how it might extend to U.S. legislative guidance, what ma
Jul 30, 2024 • 42:31
Ghost in the Machine
Death isn't always an elegant ending. When Muhammad Ahmad, a research scientist with a doctorate in machine learning, learned his father’s diagnosis was terminal, he began to create a text-based AI simulation. Host David Zvi Kalman explores the successes and limitations of this process with Mohammed and Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky, who shares a Jewish take on "DeathGPT" and wonders if ancient scholars could enter the chat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 15, 2024 • 56:09
The Two Lamp Mystery
Two religious communities invented the same lamp. Why?In our first episode David Zvi is joined by Lindsay Ems, an expert in the sociological impacts of technology on religious communities. Through the lens of Amish technology and the Sabbath for Orthodox Jews, they explore innovative ways these groups maintain their traditions in an increasingly electrified world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 1, 2024 • 35:40