Episode
Can the Pope influence the future of AI?
- Podcast
- Download This Show
- Published
- May 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1746
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/download-this-show-778192/episodes/can-the-pope-influence-the-future-of-ai/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/download-this-show-778192/can-the-pope-influence-the-future-of-ai.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
The Catholic Church has entered the AI debate, with Pope Leo XIV warning against "digital slaveries" while seated beside the co-founder of Anthropic. We ask whether the Vatican is positioning itself as a moral counterweight to Silicon Valley — and whether religion could shape the future of AI. Google says AI-generated answers are the future of search, replacing the familiar list of blue links with chatbot-style summaries. Critics argue it risks killing source literacy and turning the internet into a machine-generated feedback loop. And if smart glasses weren't enough, smart contact lenses may be next. We look at the push toward invisible wearable tech — and the privacy concerns already following close behind. GUESTS: Tegan Jones, Deputy Editor at SmartCompany and Co-host of Weird Tech Gianfranco Di Giovanni, ABC Radio Perth content director and an arts, gaming and tech reporter. ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and Burramattagal people. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.