# 286: He Survived Iraq. Now He's Warning Us About AI | Ben Peterson

David Sams sits down with Army veteran and Engage Your Destiny founder Ben Peterson for a conversation that moves from the battlefields of Iraq to the front lines of the AI revolution. Ben opens up about the darkest chapter of his life serving as a Chaplain's Assistant — losing seven brothers-in-arms in his first week of deployment, and the years of guilt, addiction, and near-suicidal despair that followed — and how that pain became the foundation for a ministry that has now reached over 300,000 service members.

From there, the conversation turns to the topic driving Ben's urgent new book, When Intelligence Isn't Human: Navigating Your Faith in the Age of AI. Ben and David dig into what it means to live faithfully in a world where algorithms are shaping how young people think, feel, and even seek guidance — with sobering data on anxiety, isolation, and a generation increasingly turning to chatbots instead of community, mentors, or God. They talk candidly about the AI arms race with China, the explosion of data centers, the rise of AI companionship, and why Ben believes this moment calls for believers to root themselves deeper in Christ rather than retreat from technology altogether.

It's a raw, wide-ranging discussion of sacrifice, redemption, and what it takes to stay grounded when the world is moving faster than we can process. Pre-order Ben's book, When Intelligence Isn't Human.

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