Today, we’re bringing you what we think is one of the most important conversations we could be having right now. We’re talking with our friend and scholar Medlir Mema about artificial intelligence—and what it means for people of faith.
Now whether you’re already fascinated by AI, cautious, or ready to turn this episode off, this episode is for everyone. Medlir makes the case that AI is a human issue. A spiritual issue. And that it’s urgent for people of faith to be asking how we can create an AI future that reflects the best of humanity.
Medlir is the Head of the AI Governance Programme at the Global Governance Institute in Brussels, a Professor of International Relations at Brigham Young University Idaho, and is leading Organized Intelligence, a new initiative supported by the Future of Life Institute and Faith Matters.
In this episode, he explains why he sees AI as an era-defining shift—less like the next tech milestone and more like the discovery of fire. It’s a moment, he believes, that could fundamentally reshape how we live. We talk today about the ways AI is already changing jobs, relationships, trust, and even our sense of identity.
And while Medlir is clear-eyed about the risks, this conversation is about clarity and opportunity. He believes that we have a real chance right now, to join the conversation with our deep values and even perhaps our theological frameworks, to ensure that AI actually helps us re-center on what truly matters and stay grounded in what it means to be human.
We hope this episode is a call to pull up a seat to the table, and help shape what comes next.
STAY INFORMED WITH ORGANIZED INTELLIGENCE
Organized Intelligence is a new Faith Matters initiative supported by the Future of Life Institute that brings together Latter-day Saint voices from across disciplines to explore the ethical, social, and spiritual dimensions of AI.
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What are we building together?
How do we build Zion together? How can we invite others to come unto Christ? How can we become disciples God can trust? How can we become more welcoming and accepting of others? Why do we build temples?
What does it mean to redeem the dead?
Who is my family? Why do temple work for the dead? What is the purpose of family history work and record keeping? What does it mean to redeem the dead?
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