In this episode we speak with a non-human guest: the AI chatbot, ChatGPT. We quiz ChatGPT on the ethical complexities and moral implications of weaving AI into our lives and spiritual journeys. We discuss what safeguards need to be in place to ensure AI acts as a catalyst for human flourishing, what AI can teach us about what it means to be human, and whether it could create it’s own religious texts, and lead it’s own Church of AI?

After the interview Nomad hosts Tim Nash and Joy Brooks look for signs of hope in this emerging AI landscape.

Interview starts at 19m 13s

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WEBSITE

ChatGPT

BOOKS (recommended by ChatGPT)

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How AI Works and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder Place” – Janelle Shane

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power – Shoshana Zuboff

The Ethical Algorithm: The Science of Socially Aware Algorithm Design – Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth

Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI – Paul R. Daugherty and H. James Wilson

Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind – Susan Schneider

TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information – Erik Davis

The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution – Walter Isaacson

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains – Nicholas Carr

QUOTES

“It’s actually quite fascinating how people often attribute human traits to machines. There’s something deeply human about wanting to connect – even if it’s with a series of algorithms and circuitry. It’s a testament to our capacity for empathy and our innate desire to understand and be understood.”

“AI can provide tools to enhance creativity, but it can’t replace the uniquely human context that gives art, music, and poetry their depth.”

“The challenge is to ensure that as AI gets better at taking care of us, we don’t forget to take care of each other.”

“AI could be a tool for creating more inclusive and equitable systems, but it requires responsible stewardship.”

“In environments where critical thinking is discouraged or even penalized, AI-generated advice could inadvertently perpetuate harmful ideologies or practices. That’s one of the complexities when technology intersects with deeply ingrained social and cultural systems. It can either be a force for change, or an amplifier of existing issues.”

“AI can be both a challenge and an opportunity, forcing us to re-examine what we hold dear.”

“The potential for both good and bad outcomes is a hallmark of many transformative technologies – not just AI.”