The New Garden
Can God be found in the algorithm? How far should our powers with A.I. extend, and how should the church respond? What does artificial intelligence mean for human connection and the way we love? These questions drive The New Garden, a podcast at the crossroads of theology and technology. Each week, co-hosts Tony Sundermeier, Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, and Brent Macon, Atlanta-based tech entrepreneur and thought leader, sit down with theologians, academics, and innovators to wrestle with the spiritual and ethical implications of A.I. In this first episode, we begin by setting the stage with the central issues and questions that The New Garden will unpack in future episodes. New episodes drop every Thursday on all major podcast platforms, with video versions available on YouTube and at firstpresatl.org. #TheNewGardenPodcast #FaithAndTech #AIandTheology #ArtificialIntelligence #TechAndFaith #ChurchAndAI #SpiritualityInTech #BigQuestions #HumanConnection #PodcastLaunch #FaithInTheDigitalAge #YouTubePodcast
The New Garden
Machines In The Image of God
It feels inevitable that as AI begins to sound uniquely human—and even personally attuned to us—we will start to anthropomorphize it, giving it personality and emotional weight. This raises questions about relationality and even deification: if God is the Creator and we, in turn, create AI, does that make us more or less like God? Could AI ever have a relationship with the divine independent of us, or does it simply mirror our own sinfulness and limitations as its makers? Looking ahead, as AI grows in influence and perceived infallibility, might it evolve beyond being a mere tool into something that relates to creation and the Creator in its own right? We are joined in this episode by Matt Prior, who is an ordained Church of England minister and Lecturer in Christian Ethics at St Mellitus College, an author, and sought-after speaker. You can learn more about him here.