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Belief in the Future

DZ Kalman
Artificial Intelligence
Religion
Technology
Cantorial Music
Judaism
Beth Singler
Catholic Church
Generative AI
Metaverse
Technology and Religion
Climate Change
Grief
Roko's Basilisk
Code
Christianity
Transhumanism
Mormon Church
Imago Dei
Mecca
Printing Press

Technology and religion sometimes seem like oil and water, but they've been crossing paths for centuries and aren't going to stop. Hosted by DZ Kalman. New season coming June 2026. Belief in the Future is a production of Sinai and Synapses. It was made with support from Templeton World Charity Foundation.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes27Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyReligionReligion & Spirituality

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Artwork for Belief in the Future

Latest Episodes

AI conversations have a tendency to become so big that you can't really locate yourself within them. For this episode we're flipping the script and talking about a longstanding conversation into which AI has unexpectedly intruded: women's religious l... more

How does our inevitable deaths change how we live—and how does fear of loss change how we develop technology? Alex Sarkissian is a death doula and a co-founder of the Buddhism and AI Initiative; he joins us to discuss his recent article on AI and Dyi... more

How does AI portray religion? Does it talk about it in the way that most Americans do? Does it treat all religions the same?

CEFE-AI (cefe.ai/) is a multi-university consortium that has been trying to answer these questions. For the last few... more

Yes, AI is new and unique—but we've been through an information revolution before. The printing press transformed religion, authority, and public life. Those upheavals offer insights into the age of AI.

Michelle Margolis is the Norman E. Alexander l... more

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Recent Guests

David Wingate
Professor at Brigham Young University and academic lead for Cefe-Ai
Brigham Young University
Episode: AI loves Catholicism. Why? (w/ David Wingate)
Michelle Margolis
Norman E. Alexander Librarian for Jewish Studies at Columbia University, past president of the Association of Jewish Libraries
Columbia University
Episode: Faith and the Printing Press (w/ Michelle Margolis)
Zohar Atkins
Creator of Yochai, a chatbot for religious content
Yochai
Episode: A next-gen religious chatbot (w/ Zohar Atkins)
Waleed Kadous
Islamic scholar and AI researcher developing Ansari, an Islamic AI assistant
Ansari project / Islamic AI researcher
Episode: Islam and AI (w/ Waleed Kadous)
Tomer Persico
Research fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute; author of In God's Image
Shalom Hartman Institute; NYU Press
Episode: The Image of God in the Age of AI (w/ Tomer Persico)
Gerrit Gong
Elder, Quorum of Twelve Apostles, Mormon Church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Episode: The Latter-day Saint Way on AI
Brian Green
Director of Technology Ethics at the Mercoula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Episode: A Catholic and a Jew read the pope's AI encyclical together
Kevin Kelly
Writer, commentator on technology and culture, and author
WIRED Magazine
Episode: What Could Go Right?
Sam Arbesman
Scientist at Lux Capital and author of The Magic of Code
Lux Capital
Episode: The Two Codes

Hosts

DZ Kalman
Host of Belief in the Future
David Zvi Kalman
Host of Belief in the Future

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 66 ratings
  • Thought-provokingly good

    A refreshing and thoughtful exploration of what’s happening at the intersection of technology and religion. Highly-recommended for anyone looking to delve deeper into how faith, AI, tradition, and innovation all collide in today’s world.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JWDetroit
    United States2 years ago
  • Fascinating

    Fascinating topics, great information from many sources, and presented well. Really enjoying these episodes.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Esther Goldenberg
    United States2 years ago
  • A Great Listen

    This podcast covers such interesting topics and will leave you with many questions you want to discuss with others! Well produced and researched as well

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Elanaberry123
    United States2 years ago
  • Insightful and Inspirational!

    Each episode had great topics, great guests and thoughtful points made by the host. I learn something new and take something away from each one!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ethan Witkovsky
    United States2 years ago
  • Yes!

    The world needs a podcast like this and David Zvi insightfully shepherds listeners through big questions where tech and religion intersect

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Compassionate ice picker
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High-quality guests and well-researched discussions.
Listeners praise the engaging, rigorous format and practical relevance.
Thought-provoking, thoughtful exploration of tech-religion intersection.
Great for listeners who want to discuss faith and future tech with nuance.
Audience finds host insightful and the episodes provoke thoughtful reflection.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Latter-day Saint Way on AI
Q: How do you think about the balance between teaching principles and giving people guidance on what to do in practice?
The approach is to teach principles and let people govern themselves, adapting the long-term implications to today's technology, and adding concrete guardrails where necessary to prevent harm while still enabling beneficial use and moral growth.
The Latter-day Saint Way on AI
Q: I'm wondering if you can speak a little bit about, first of all, how you decided to focus on concrete policy and how you think about developing each of those pieces.
Policy development centers on timeless principles—protecting individual moral agency, avoiding anthropomorphism, and ensuring that AI supports rather than replaces spiritual processes—while translating them into practical rules for General Conference, church communications, and educational settings.
The Latter-day Saint Way on AI
Q: Would you be able to tell me a little bit about the history of the LDS Church's response to AI? Where do you locate the beginning of that response?
The LDS response emerged from a combination of high-level policy development and grounded actions within the Church's structure, beginning in late 2024, with ongoing efforts to codify AI use, preserve human agency, and prevent AI from substituting divine inspiration or becoming an instrument of manipulation in worship and governance.
A Catholic and a Jew read the pope's AI encyclical together
Q: Is this the best possible version of the encyclical given the speed of its production, and what trade-offs might have affected its clarity or coherence?
Given the rapid production, some tensions between sections could have benefited from more ironing out; however, the breadth and depth achieved are remarkable for such a large document, and the faster timeline likely constrained broader consultation but preserved a strong, cohesive moral argument.
A Catholic and a Jew read the pope's AI encyclical together
Q: Can you talk about the signing date's significance and how that shapes reception of the encyclical?
The signing date helps anchor the document in a tradition of encyclicals tied to major historical moments; it signals ongoing dialogue between Church teaching and contemporary AI concerns, while also clarifying that the text is meant for the world, not just theologians.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Belief in the Future

What is Belief in the Future about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful show exploring the intersections of technology, faith, and ethics through conversations with researchers, theologians, and technologists. Episodes frequently examine how AI, religious tradition, and modern society shape one another, often weighing governance, education, and community impact. Notable quirks include a consistent focus on how religious communities engage with AI—whether through church technology, sacred learning tools, or doctrinal policy—and a tendency to feature guests who sit at the crossroads of faith and tech. Overall, the show is likely to appeal to listeners who want rigorous, humanity-centered discussions about how belief systems navigate rapid technological change, with a willingness to consider governanc... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Belief in the Future?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Belief in the Future:

1. Identity/Crisis
2. SAPIR Conversations
3. The Tikvah Podcast
4. Israel Policy Pod
5. Conversations with Tyler

How many episodes of Belief in the Future are there?

Belief in the Future launched 2 years ago and published 27 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Belief in the Future?

Recent guests on Belief in the Future include:

1. David Wingate
2. Michelle Margolis
3. Zohar Atkins
4. Waleed Kadous
5. Tomer Persico
6. Gerrit Gong
7. Brian Green
8. Kevin Kelly

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