Gods in the Machine: Artificial Intelligence and the Ethics of Love

Undergraduate / Graduate

Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly governs knowledge, control, and connection. It reshapes the foundations of human life, including meaning, authority, and sociality. This course investigates the new gods of our technological age and asks what it means to live justly and love wisely in their presence. We begin by tracing the genealogy of artificial beings, from mythic automatons to the algorithmic visions of Silicon Valley. Theological longings have always fused with fantasies of artificial creation. We then examine the politics of AI today, including global surveillance, algorithmic governance, and automation. We assess how people grant trust to algorithms and how "black box" systems render seemingly divine judgments while reproducing human bias. Moving from public authority to private intimacy, we explore how AI feminizes digital assistants, outsources emotional labor, and shapes gender and sexual norms. We ask whether algorithms can love, if humans can love machines, and what defines consent when one party lacks embodiment or vulnerability. Finally, we explore AI's symbolic, spiritual, and speculative dimensions. We consider narratives of technological salvation, representations of compassionate machines, and alternative visions of relationality. No technical expertise or prior background in religious studies or ethics is required. This course will meet in a seminar format.