Challenges and Promises of Artificial Intelligence in Religion

Stanislav Panin holds a PhD in Philosophy from Moscow State University and is a PhD candidate in the Department of Religion at Rice University. The post is a part the Sacralization of AI series.

Nowadays, applications based on artificial intelligence (AI) influence almost all areas of life, and religion is no exception. After all, one can train an artificial neural network using any set of texts, including religious texts, which allows to create applications explicitly designed to engage in conversations concerning spiritual matters. In fact, AI enthusiasts have already made their first attempts. While these developments might seem overwhelming, they are not entirely new. For centuries, similar themes have captured the religious imagination.

(more…)

Continue Reading Challenges and Promises of Artificial Intelligence in Religion

“The Bear and the Bees”: How Religious Freedom Strengthened Ukrainian Resiliency

John Moroz Smith leads the law department of a global financial services company. Smith served in the George W. Bush White House, clerked for Judge Samuel Alito, and served as a U.S. Army reservist.

As I layer the daily news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over the range of my experiences since 1992 in both countries [1], an underlying, under-appreciated theme strikes me. It helps explain why the initial expectations of Ukraine’s attacker and allies alike were so wrong about Ukraine’s resiliency. It also hints at how this conflict likely plays out.

This is the theme: Ukraine’s relative freedom and openness and governmental weakness (especially as compared to Russia) since Soviet collapse in 1991 has created a busy hive of voluntary civic activity—especially religious activity—that likely will outlast the invasion forces. The nature and intensity of that voluntary activity is unprecedented in that oft-occupied nation’s history. It has reorganized Ukrainian society away from its Soviet legacy, connected Ukrainians with free peoples and powerful institutions abroad, revived Ukraine’s spiritual and moral strength, and strengthened its resiliency against totalitarianism.

(more…)

Continue Reading “The Bear and the Bees”: How Religious Freedom Strengthened Ukrainian Resiliency

Video: Freedom of Religion or Belief Builds Security


Security is often associated with politics or military protection. But the OSCE’s approach goes a step further, by adding the concept of a human dimension. This means that countries need to respect human rights not just because it’s an obligation but also to achieve national security. It also means that governments cannot “buy” political stability or “social harmony” at the expense of human rights. In this video, Dmytro Vovk, member of the OSCE/ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief and a co-editor of Talk About: Law and Religion, explains why freedom of religion or belief and security should be advanced as non-competitive goals.

(more…)

Continue Reading Video: Freedom of Religion or Belief Builds Security