Re-enchanting... the human story - Marilynne Robinson

What is the nature of a human soul? Marilynne Robinson has sought to re-enchant the divine mystery of everyday human life in her novels. Belle and Justin chat to Marilynne about how her literature.

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

What is the nature of a human soul? Marilynne Robinson has sought to re-enchant the divine mystery of everyday human life in her novels.

Marilynne is a Pulitzer Prize winning author of bestselling works including Housekeeping, Gilead, Home and Lila. As a Christian she has a deep interest in the way theology and scripture speak to contemporary life. Belle and Justin chat to Marilynne about how her novels and essays have sought to re-enchant the human story.

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Podcast

Culture

Re-enchanting

24 November 2023

1 min read

Re-enchanting... artificial intelligence

An academic expert in AI, Ros Picard helps Justine and Belle explore the big questions around artificial intelligence. What does it mean for the future of humanity? And, how do we ensure that it doesn't dehumanise its creators?

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

a woman at a desk video call gestures with her hands to make a point.

Professor Rosalind Picard is founder and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at MIT. She has pioneered the field of life-saving wearable technology that responds to human emotion and wellbeing. Ros is an expert in machine learning and AI - a field that has exploded in public consciousness recently, moving from the world of sci-fi to everyday life with the advent of Chat GPT and numerous other interactive AI programmes.

What does all this mean for the future of humanity? How do we ensure that technology doesn't dehumanise its creators? Ros approaches these questions not only as a computer scientist but as a Christian, having undergone an adult conversion to faith. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall ask how we can re-enchant AI and technology in a world where the human touch seems to be being replaced by automated chatbots and virtual relationships.

For Ros Picard: https://web.media.mit.edu/~picard/

For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast