Infinite Corridor

The Octet Collaborative
  • 5.0 (9)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Stories of faith and discovery from the halls of MIT and beyond, shared by the Octet Collaborative

Episodes

  1. DEC 8

    Safeguarding the Future

    The promise of AI seems unlimited - but what about the downside? Last March, the Octet Collaborative hosted an interdisciplinary colloquium devoted to the question of AI & Human Formation, which became the basis for this special season of the Infinite Corridor podcast.  Over the course of a rich day of interdisciplinary conversation, we considered what is formed by AI and how human formation takes place.  Finally, we turned to the critical question of who is responsible for the impact that AI will have on human formation and the world we are building.  Is it scientists?  Industry?  Government?  Or might it, somehow, be all of us? In this episode, we hear from MIT biologist Kevin Esvelt, a scientist on the forefront of genetic engineering and other fields deeply interwoven with the rapid ascent of AI, to hear his concerns for safeguarding the future, and how he bears the weight of his own responsibility to shepherd the technologies he builds well, for the flourishing of all humanity.

    27 min

  2. DEC 1

    AI and Human Flourishing

    AI’s potential seems limitless - and not only according to those building it and profiting from the current AI boom. Curing disease, solving the climate crisis, ending the epidemic of loneliness: there seems no end to the intractable problems that suddenly seem to maybe, just maybe, be solvable with the help of AI. But what sort of people will we become in the process? Are problem-solving and human flourishing necessarily the same thing? Last March, the Octet Collaborative hosted an interdisciplinary colloquium devoted to this question, which became the basis for this special season of the Infinite Corridor podcast. In this, the second of three episodes taking you directly into the conversation, we hear voices spanning technology, entrepreneurship, and the humanities, addressing the question of human flourishing. The conversation sheds light on the importance of considering not only how we shape and use AI as a tool, but how we might be deliberate about using it in a way that shapes us toward deeper wisdom, stronger communities, and a clearer vision of what makes us human.

    20 min

  3. NOV 20

    What Does AI Form in Us?

    What will we become with AI? It’s a question easily lost alongside fevered speculation about what AI will do to the economy, politics, national security — and yet it may be the most important question of all. How will AI shape us, as we build it and use it? Last March, the Octet Collaborative hosted an interdisciplinary colloquium devoted to this question, which became the basis for this special season of the Infinite Corridor podcast. In this, the first of three episodes taking you directly into the conversation, Octet senior theologian Nathan Barczi is joined by MIT professor Roz Picard and MIT researcher Sarp Gurakan for the conversation that framed the day’s conversation, asking: What does AI form in us? Future conversations in episodes 2 and 3 will address AI and human flourishing, and the critical question of safeguarding the future. Welcome to season 3 of the Infinite Corridor podcast, a special edition on what we will become with AI.

    22 min
  4. Alan Love: Restoring a Common Table to the Sciences

    10/15/2024

    Alan Love: Restoring a Common Table to the Sciences

    Alan Love ‘95, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota and Director of the Minnesota Center for the Philosophy of Science, talks about how his personal journey of faith and career — traversing an undergrad biology degree at MIT and hospitality work in campus ministry — dovetails perfectly with his interest in the philosophy of science, suggesting that scientists need to walk across the quad, leaving behind their siloes of specialization.

    28 min
  5. Nathan Matias: Algorithms, Equity, and Citizen Science

    10/08/2024

    Nathan Matias: Algorithms, Equity, and Citizen Science

    Computer Scientist Nathan Matias, PhD ‘17, a professor at Cornell University and founder of the Citizens and Technology Lab, talks about the ethics and implications for equity and justice of machine learning — including how they take a crash collision into his own family history as a Guatemalan American and his ongoing formation as a Christian disciple.

    32 min
  6. Deborah Chung: Smart concrete and a Spirit-led life in science

    10/01/2024

    Deborah Chung: Smart concrete and a Spirit-led life in science

    Prolific innovator Deborah Chung, PhD '77 and currently professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Buffalo, shares the unexpected ways that her faith in God has animated the concrete details of her daily life as a materials scientist… even when she is thinking about literal concrete.

    23 min
  7. Rocklyn and Eva Clarke: Disciples Go Where the Pain Is

    11/05/2023

    Rocklyn and Eva Clarke: Disciples Go Where the Pain Is

    Rocklyn and Eva Clarke, Pastors at Life Church Boston who met as MIT students, discuss their journey to faith at MIT, their experience as African American students on campus, and the many projects they're currently working on, including MITCAN (MIT Christian Alumni Network).

    28 min
  8. Jack Collins: What systems engineering has to do with reading the Bible well

    10/29/2023

    Jack Collins: What systems engineering has to do with reading the Bible well

    Old Testament professor Jack Collins ‘76, SM ‘78 discusses the relationship between faith & science - both for a general pursuit of truth, and in his own career in engineering and the study of biblical language.

    28 min
  9. Scott Francisco: Co-creating the Built Environment

    10/22/2023

    Scott Francisco: Co-creating the Built Environment

    A conversation about the Brooklyn Bridge, sustainable forestry, and how the creation mandate connects humans to the natural world with designer, architect, and MIT alum Scott Francisco, SM ‘05.

    18 min
  10. Roz Picard: Leaving the Comfort Zone

    10/15/2023

    Roz Picard: Leaving the Comfort Zone

    An MIT scientist describes her journey to faith and her story of risk-taking in life and the lab.

    28 min
  11. Cullen Buie: The Mountain and the River

    10/08/2023

    Cullen Buie: The Mountain and the River

    Cullen Buie, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Laboratory for Energy and Microsystems Innovation at MIT, and co-founder of Kytopen, talks about how God directed his life into a career in engineering, the huge variety of problems that career has enabled him to address, and how he sets priorities in a life with many callings.

    31 min
  12. Deborah Haarsma: Science, Wonder, and Awe

    10/01/2023

    Deborah Haarsma: Science, Wonder, and Awe

    Deborah Haarsma, President of BioLogos and MIT Alumni, kicks off the Infinite Corridor podcast by sharing how her work as an astrophysicist encourages her faith in God, and gives her a passion to share her wonder and awe at the universe with scientists and with the church.

    35 min
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Stories of faith and discovery from the halls of MIT and beyond, shared by the Octet Collaborative

Information

  • Creator
    The Octet Collaborative
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Infinite Corridor
  • Show Website
    Infinite Corridor

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