ITEST Webinar
AI and Sin:
Medieval Robots and the Theology of Technology
Saturday, April 5, 2025
7:00 am – 9:00 am (Pacific)
8:00 am – 10:00 am (Mountain)
9:00 am – 11:00 am (Central)
10:00 am – noon (Eastern)
Register at the bottom of this page for this webinar.
Webinar fee: $10
No charge for: ITEST members, clergy, seminarians, women and men religious
Donations are appreciated.
Our presenters
Christopher M. Reilly, ThD
AI and Sin: How Today’s Technology Motivates Evil
Christopher M. Reilly writes and speaks in regard to a Christian response to advanced technology, and he has written numerous articles on bioethics and moral theology and philosophy. Chris holds a doctor of theology degree and three masters degrees in philosophy, theology, and public affairs. He resides in the greater Washington, DC region. His website is ChristopherMReilly.com. Chris is Associate Director of ITEST.
Abstract
Artificial intelligence technology (AI) motivates persons’ engagement in sin. With this startling argument drawn from Catholic theology and technological insight, Christopher M. Reilly, Th.D. takes on both critics and proponents of AI who see it as essentially a neutral tool that can be used with good or bad intentions. More specifically, Reilly demonstrates that AI strongly encourages the vice of instrumental rationality, which in turn leads the developers, producers, and users of AI and its machines toward acedia, one of the “seven deadly sins.”
Jordan Joseph Wales, PhD
Response: Medieval Robots and the Theology of Technology
Jordan Wales is the Kuczmarski Professor of Theology at Hillsdale College. With degrees in engineering, cognitive science, and theology, his scholarship focuses on early Christianity as well as contemporary theological questions relating to artificial intelligence. He is a member of the AI Research Group for the Holy See’s Centre for Digital Culture, under the Dicastery for Culture and Education; a fellow of the Centre for Humanity and the Common Good; and a fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion.
Abstract
Medieval theologians and storytellers grappled with humankind’s tendency to confine our aims to what a technology can represent rather than to situate that technology within the wider horizon of the human journey to God. Responding to Dr. Reilly, I draw on legends of robots that illustrate a theological approach to AI as a perilous but also potent instrument mediating between human volition and our natural and social environment. In their diverging outcomes, these texts suggest paths toward a more humane positioning of AI within our lives.
Webinar resources
Chris Reilly’s Resources
Radio interview on Relevant Radio, Trending with Timmerie: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/ai-reason-acedia–64575876
Book – AI and Sin: How Today’s Technologies Motivate Evil: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/aiandsin/
Chris Reilly’s website: https://christophermreilly.com/
Chapter – “Seven Christian Principles for Thriving with Artificial Intelligence”: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/66bb63fdcdba62679b200277/1723556861413/Artificial+Intelligence-1.pdf
Jordan Wales’ Resources
“What Will a Future with Androids among Us Look Like”: https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/what-will-a-future-with-androids-among-us-look-like/
“The Image and the Idol: A Theological Reflection on AI Bias”: https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-image-and-the-idol-a-theological-reflection-on-ai-bias/
“Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations”: https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/91230-encountering-artificial-intelligence-ethical-and-anthropological-investigations