Faith & AI Project Podcast

Digital Continent

Interviews with experts helping Catholics understand, navigate, and harness AI with wisdom, confidence, and hope. Visit faithandaiproject.com for more.

Episodes

  1. JAN 29

    Can Catholics Talk to Chatbots? Marc Barnes & Matthew Sanders Debate

    Can a Catholic AI trained on the Church’s documents help people encounter truth… or is conversation with a chatbot fundamentally disordered? In this episode of The Faith & AI Project Podcast, Edmund Mitchell hosts a spirited (and surprisingly charitable) debate between Matthew Sanders (founder & CEO of Longbeard, the team behind Magisterium AI) and Dr. Marc Barnes (editor of New Polity). The conversation started with a little bit of Catholic-internet drama: Marc published an essay titled “Delete Magisterium AI,” arguing that chatbot-style “conversation” is not a neutral interface—but a formative act that can subtly reshape how we relate to truth, authority, and even God.  Matthew responded publicly with his own article, pushing back on the critique and defending Magisterium AI as a tool meant to point people back to sources, not replace teachers, pastors, or the Church’s living authority. Instead of letting the debate spiral into side-takes and subtweets, we invited both men onto the podcast to talk it out directly, thoughtfully, and in good faith. If you’ve been wondering whether Catholics should delete tools like this… or learn how to build them…this conversation is for you. This Episode is Sponsored by Pushpay Every person in your parish community is on a journey. As a parish leader, you’re called to know where people are on that journey, and help them take their next step.  That’s why Pushpay is developing AI solutions that enable you to easily see who’s moving forward, know who might be stuck, and reach people before a moment for meaningful ministry is lost. Because when every soul comes into focus, ministry becomes more personal, and more impactful.  Discover what Pushpay’s AI solutions can do for your parish today at pushpay.com/innovation. Learn more and access free resources at faithandaiproject.com.

    2h 12m
  2. 11/14/2025

    Would Aquinas Use AI? Inside the Mind of a Catholic AI Innovator

    In this conversation, Edmund sits down with Matthew Sanders, co-founder of Magisterium AI, to explore how Catholics can faithfully and intelligently engage emerging technologies. Matthew brings a refreshing perspective rooted in pastoral reality, human formation, and a deep trust in the Church’s mission. They discuss why AI should not be evaluated in isolation, how good formation dictates good discernment, what Thomas Aquinas might do with ChatGPT at his elbow, and why Catholic leaders should look closely at the stated visions of today’s major AI companies. Matthew also explains how AI can serve as a “front porch to the Church” for seekers—and why the ultimate goal isn’t Catholic AI, but fully formed Catholics who no longer need it. If you’ve wondered how AI fits into the journey toward human flourishing and sainthood, or what a “City of God in the robotics age” might look like, this episode offers clarity, challenge, and hope. Matthew Sanders is the CEO of Longbeard, a digital technology and marketing agency, who is also behind Magisterium AI. He  spent years in Rome and then Malta working with the Holy See and Pontifical Universities to help them more effectively leverage digital technologies to promote the faith. Longboard is also behind Vulgate, a project that utilizes several AI technologies to make library contents more accessible. Vulgate is currently powering a historic library digitization project with Pontifical universities in Rome. Learn more and access free resources at faithandaiproject.com.

    50 min

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Interviews with experts helping Catholics understand, navigate, and harness AI with wisdom, confidence, and hope. Visit faithandaiproject.com for more.

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