AI and evangelization

George Weigel argues that leaders of the artificial intelligence revolution often overlook fundamental truths regarding the human condition. Speaking during a podcast about the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas in June, Weigel suggested that those driving AI development lack an understanding of metaphysics and the deep truths that lead to personal flourishing and social solidarity.

Weigel noted that these truths can be understood through reason and, for Christians, through revelation. He drew a parallel to observations made by Peggy Noonan in a Wall Street Journal column, which described Silicon Valley as having a history of following cultlike ideas such as utilitarianism and effective altruism. Weigel also referenced Michael Lewis's book, Going Infinite, to illustrate a detachment from religious belief in the Bay Area, citing former investor Sam Bankman-Fried's perspective that God was merely something seen on television rather than a reality.