Religious Scholars Met With Anthropic. What They Heard Stunned Them.

One night in April, a leader of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic treated a group of religious thinkers to dinner at a high-end tasting menu restaurant in San Francisco after a long day. For months, Anthropic has been hosting private meetings like this one, shuttling in dozens of religious scholars from across the world, papering them with nondisclosure agreements and demanding that key aspects of many conversations remain confidential. (Dias, The New York Times)

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Church & Culture
Rise in young Catholic converts points to spiritual longing in U.S. and Europe

“This phenomenon,” the pope said, “contradicts every defeatist attitude.” He called the trend a “marvel” and said the church must work to “respect their personal history” and offer them a “welcoming environment.” He said the greatest challenge was to “foster” the newcomers, to ensure they remain in the faith. (Faiola & Boorstein, The Washington Post)

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Church & Culture
Middle-Schoolers Are Seeking Out AI Friends Instead of Real Human Ones

Artificial intelligence use among more than 2,300 middle-school students is increasing rapidly—and any AI use is associated with higher social anxiety and depressive symptoms, according to a paper, currently under review, from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The more often the students use AI, the more anxious and lonely they become. (Jargon, The Wall Street Journal)

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Church & Culture