
Imago Dei in the Age of AI, Part 1: Why the Devil Envies You (#451)
From Considering Catholicism by Greg Smith
April 13, 2026 · 29 min · Episode 458
About this episode
The episode explores the concept of Imago Dei in the context of artificial intelligence and human dignity.
This is Part 1 of our four-episode series “What Is Man That You Are Mindful of Him? Imago Dei in the Age of AI.” In a world racing toward artificial super-intelligence that threatens to out-think and out-perform us at almost every task, the Catholic Church points us back to an older drama: super-intelligences were here first — and the brightest of them burned with envy when God crowned ordinary flesh-and-blood humans with glory and honor. Drawing from Milton’s Paradise Lost, Psalm 8, Genesis 1, and the insights of Aquinas and Suárez on the angelic fall, Greg explores why our worth has never been grounded in tasks or productivity. Even if machines surpass us on every measurable metric, our dignity remains untouched — because it is ontological, rooted in the Imago Dei and God’s unchanging call to be fruitful, multiply, and steward creation as His beloved sons and daughters. Whether you’re a Protestant pastor quietly investigating Catholicism, a curious seeker drawn to the beauty of the faith, or a cradle Catholic rediscovering its depths, this episode will steady your heart with the ancient answer to the question that still echoes today: “What is man that You are mindful of him?”…
People in this episode
Host: Greg Smith
Topics covered
- Imago Dei
- AI
- Catholicism
- human dignity
- super-intelligence
- spirituality
Keywords
- Imago Dei
- artificial intelligence
- human dignity
- Catholic Church
- spirituality
- Aquinas
- Suárez
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Paradise Lost, Psalm 8, Genesis 1
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