Can the Pope influence the future of AI?

Can the Pope influence the future of AI?

From Download This Show by ABC Australia

May 29, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the Catholic Church's stance on AI, the future of search technology, and the rise of invisible wearable tech.

The Catholic Church has entered the AI debate, with Pope Leo XIV warning against "digital slaveries" while seated beside the co-founder of Anthropic. We ask whether the Vatican is positioning itself as a moral counterweight to Silicon Valley — and whether religion could shape the future of AI. Google says AI-generated answers are the future of search, replacing the familiar list of blue links with chatbot-style summaries. Critics argue it risks killing source literacy and turning the internet into a machine-generated feedback loop. And if smart glasses weren't enough, smart contact lenses may be next. We look at the push toward invisible wearable tech — and the privacy concerns already following close behind. GUESTS: Tegan Jones, Deputy Editor at SmartCompany and Co-host of Weird Tech Gianfranco Di Giovanni, ABC Radio Perth content director and an arts, gaming and tech reporter. ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and Burramattagal people. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

People in this episode

Guests: Tegan Jones, Gianfranco Di Giovanni

Topics covered

  • AI ethics
  • digital technology
  • wearable tech
  • privacy concerns
  • religion and technology

Keywords

  • AI
  • Pope
  • Google
  • smart glasses
  • privacy
  • digital slaveries
  • Vatican
  • wearable technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Anthropic, Google

Places: Vatican, Gadigal, Burramattagal

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