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Tech Won't Save Us - Will the Pope Be An Ally Against AI? w/ Paolo Benanti

Paris Marx is joined by Paolo Benanti to discuss what Pope Leo XIV’s statements on AI, the publications under Pope Francis, and the ethics of AI from a theological perspective.

Paolo Benanti is an author, academic, and priest. He teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University and was an advisor to Pope Francis on artificial intelligence and technology ethics.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.

Also mentioned in this episode:

  • Paris wrote about what Pope Leo XIV and the Church have been saying about AI.
  • In June, Pope Leo sent a message to the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence.
  • Under Pope Francis, the Church published a note on AI called Antiqua et nova. Here is a short breakdown of its content.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - In Gaza, Journalism Is a Death Sentence

On Sunday, Al-Jazeera’s entire team in Gaza City were killed by an airstrike. Almost immediately, Israel said it targeted one of them on purpose – Anas al-Sharif. The strike fits a pattern, growing both in Israel and across the world, of targeting journalists—and holding no one accountable afterwards.

Guest: Jodie Ginsberg, head of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit organization promoting press freedom worldwide.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.


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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘Human Nature,’ Kate Marvel bridges the gap between climate science and emotions

Kate Marvel is a climate scientist who has testified before Congress and served as lead author of the U.S. National Climate Assessment. But in her new book Human Nature, she takes a different approach to climate change, exploring the crisis through nine emotions. In today's episode, the scientist and author speaks with NPR’s Scott Simon about watching the world end through computer models, pushing back against emotional neutrality, and her book’s chapter on pride.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

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Audio Mises Wire - The Oklahoma City Bombing: A Lesson in Government Lawlessness

After the tragic 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the FBI rolled out the same "lone nut" narrative about who did it. However, much evidence exists to show that FBI informants and agents embedded with white supremacy groups may well have been involved.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/oklahoma-city-bombing-lesson-government-lawlessness

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Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova - What’s the Optimal Personality for AI?

This week Nate and Maria discuss the release of GPT-5, the latest model from OpenAI. This model promises to be faster, smarter, and more useful while also reducing hallucinations and sycophancy. It also lets users choose among different AI “personalities.” What do Nate and Maria think so far?

Then, they turn to the newly inked Nvidia trade deal, which notably includes a 15% cut of sales to China for the US government

Further Reading:

Ethical Issues In Advanced Artificial Intelligence by Nick Bostrom, 2003

SuperIntelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom, 2014

For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:

The Leap from Maria Konnikova

Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver

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It Could Happen Here - Tariffs and the Corruption State

Mia gives an update on the recent round of tariffs and what they say about the American state under Trump.

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/economy/tariff-more-expensive

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-hikes-india-tariffs-50-percent-buying-russian-oil-rcna223374

https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/us-tariffs-take-effect-08-07-25

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nvidia-amd-chip-sales-china-15-percent-h20-mi308/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/business/tariffs-switzerland-trump.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/07/trumps-reciprocal-tariffs-come-into-effect-hitting-dozens-of-us-trading-partners.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/8/12/trump-extends-china-tariff-deadline-for-the-second-time-what-does-it-mean

https://www.tradecomplianceresourcehub.com/2025/08/12/trump-2-0-tariff-tracker/

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/07/business/trade-exemptions-tariffs-trump

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7jjkvzmkxo

https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/us-tariffs-take-effect-08-07-25#cme17o5l400003b6ns7mwdwnv

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/06/tech/apple-investment-us-trump

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-tariffs-latest-round-takes-effect-thursday-august-7-2025-rcna223461

https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/us-tariffs-take-effect-08-07-25

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-administration-tells-foreign-military-junta-wants-hear-raising-e-rcna221569

https://restofworld.org/2023/foxconn-iphone-factory-china/

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/06/tech/apple-investment-us-trump

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/i-wont-humiliate-myself-brazils-president-sees-no-point-tariff-talks-with-trump-2025-08-06/

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - The Conspiracy of “Cool”

What makes a person "cool"? We don't mean physical temperature -- instead, we're asking about the swag, the aura, the almost indescribable vibe with a thousand names across time and culture. For most of human history, the concept of what we call "cool" has been a mystery -- perhaps, that is, until now. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the strange story of how science may have finally cracked the code on coolness. Could you use this knowledge to make yourself cooler? More importantly... is it cool to want to?

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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