From The Archives: The Moral Challenges Posed By AI

From The Archives: The Moral Challenges Posed By AI

Author: The Media Project September 22, 2026 Duration: 33:54

AI cannot stay out of the news. Just this month a former researcher at Anthropic, the company behind the chatbot Claude, posted on X that “the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.” Last week, OpenAI announced 6 new reports of unexpected or concerning behavior from their ai models, including one model that inserted notes into its framework that allowed it to operate without traditional restraints

The growing doomer-ism about Artificial Intelligence has resulted in both Anthropic and OpenAI’s CEOs to advise that humanity joins together in slowing AI development—urging labs internationally to follow suit and the U.S. government to ensure this deceleration.

While the call to slow down development has even managed to make unlikely allies out of Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon, some people are still preaching a full-speed-ahead message, including the CEO of Nvidia and President Trump, who, in a Truth Social post last week made his position clear saying, “We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies! There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so.”

This episode is from the archives—it’s a rerun from 2024.

In the two years since we first broadcast this episode, AI chatbot use has expanded from a third of the U.S. population participating in 2024, to roughly half of Americans in 2026. But at the same time, the percent of Americans who believe AI is doing more harm than good has gone up by 8% since 2024. And the percent of Americans concerned that AI will reduce the total number of jobs has gone up by 4%, with 63% of Americans in 2026 saying AI is advancing too quickly.

AI has made us question our very humanity—giving us concerns about our intelligence, our work, our relationships, and even our religion. So that’s why on today’s episode we’re featuring my conversation with Loyola Professor Joseph Vukov about his book: Staying Human In an Era of Artificial Intelligence.




In a world where faith is often reduced to headlines or soundbites, Religion Unplugged offers a different kind of space. This podcast, from The Media Project, engages with the profound and complex ways belief shapes our lives, politics, and history. You’ll hear candid conversations and stories drawn from original reporting by a global network of journalists. We move beyond simple debates to explore the nuanced realities of spirituality and religious practice as they intersect with culture, conflict, and community. Each episode is an opportunity to listen deeply to narratives that are frequently overlooked, understanding that religion remains a powerful and growing force across the globe. This isn’t about doctrine; it’s about the human experience at the intersection of the sacred and the everyday. Tune in for a grounded, journalistic approach that unplugs the stereotypes and connects you to the authentic stories defining faith in the 21st century.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Religion Unplugged
Podcast Episodes
Is God Laughing With Us? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:43
Christians, as a faith tradition, are not known for their sense of humor. If anything, they sometimes get a bad wrap as being a bunch of sticks in the mud. The austere Puritans of Hawthorne’s The Maypole of Merrymount co…
The Gospel According To Hobby Lobby [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:45
Every billionaire eventually takes advantage of their wealth. Even Warren Buffet, famously more frugal and plain in the way he spends his money, eventually bought a private jet.Absurd money continues to enable absurd pur…
Inside The Growing Jewish Movement Shaking Up Tradition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:51
Most practicing Jews in the United States fall into one of three categories. There are the Orthodox Jews--who are committed to following Jewish law to the letter and who uphold all the traditions set by rabbis over the c…
Is Utopia At All Possible? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:04
As conflicts rage on in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, it seems we are living through a time of war. This reality does not distinguish us all that much from the rest of human history. Our species has always been int…
How Evangelical Apocalypticism Hurts the Planet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:43
It’s been a hot summer. Heatwaves have persisted across North America, Australia, Asia and most notably, Europe—where an estimated 25,000 people have died as a result of the extreme heat.In fact, heat levels in July of t…
The Quest To Visualize The Bible [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:47
The Bible is by no means a picture book. But, for its lack of illustrations, it still presents many powerful images. A burning bush. A giant fish. An angel army. A pillar of fire. A snake. A harp. A wall. A fruit tree. A…
Does "The Odyssey" Understand Ancient Greek Religion? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:11
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” hit theaters a little over a week ago.The film earned an estimated $124 million on its opening weekend and, at the time of this recording, received a score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and…
Investigating Religious Bias in Artificial Intelligence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:57
Back in May, Brigham Young University published the results of a study about AI and religion. The study found that all major AI chatbots would not mention faith in responses to questions in which a well-rounded response…
The Evolution of Islam and The American Right [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:26
Later this year, Americans will recognize September 11, 2026 as the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center back in 2001.The attack was enacted by Al-Qaeda, a radical Islamic organization. And…
What Was American Religion Really Like in 1776 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:10
Earlier this year, Pew Research published the results of a study on religious diversity around the world. While the U.S. didn’t even break the top 10 for most religiously diverse when all nations studied were taken into…