Does AI Need History?

Does AI Need History?

Author: DZ Kalman August 27, 2024 Duration: 45:07
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 early modern period. Her work, including the acclaimed Medieval Robots: Mechanism, Magic, Nature, and Art (2015), explores the role of automata in medieval culture and the ethical questions they raised about identity and creation. Reading List: Medieval Robots by Elly Truitt Machines as the Measure of Men by Michael Adas Books & Essays by Stanislaw Lem Greek myths featuring Hephaestus and mechanical servants "Did the Greeks Believe in Their Robots?" by Martin Devecka “Israelite Kingship, Christian Rome, and the Jewish Imperial Imagination: Midrashic Precursors to the Medieval ‘Throne of Solomon'” by Ra’anan Boustan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a world often framed by conflict, Belief in the Future explores the surprising and fertile intersections where our oldest spiritual questions meet our newest technological realities. Host David Zvi Kalman guides conversations that move beyond simple debate, delving into how faith traditions adapt to artificial intelligence, how ritual lives alongside digital life, and what ancient wisdom might offer to our most modern dilemmas. This isn't about proving one side right, but about listening deeply to the nuanced ways people are actually navigating these realms. Each episode offers a thoughtful space to consider how the tools we build and the beliefs we hold shape our humanity, for better or worse. Released every other week, this podcast from Sinai and Synapses, with support from Templeton World Charity Foundation, invites you into a long-running conversation that feels more urgent than ever. You'll hear from theologians, engineers, artists, and philosophers, all contributing to a richer understanding of our collective path forward. Tune in for a series that finds connection in the places we least expect it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 19

Belief in the Future
Podcast Episodes
The Secret Synagogue Tapes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:51
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 meg…
The Cantor in the Brothel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:32
What happens when you take synagogue music out of the synagogue? Works mentioned Jeremiah Lockwood, Golden Ages: Hasidic Singers and Cantorial Revival in the Digital Era Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.…
What Silicon Valley Means by "God" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:02
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 uni…
Should I Use the Plagiarism Machine? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:45
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 tr…
AI and the Baptists [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:31
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 o…
Ghost in the Machine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:09
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…
The Two Lamp Mystery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:40
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 tech…
Belief in the Future - Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:27
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