Ancient Prompts-A technologist, a philosopher, and a theologian on being human in the age of AI

The Festival of Thought is a series of events happening across the Bay Area this fall. We're bringing together technologists, philosophers, and theologians to talk about where technology is taking us — and what it means for how we live. Our take: Christianity has something real to say about the questions everyone's already asking about AI — whether or not you're religious yourself. This evening at the Fox is built around one of those questions. Come as you are — this is for technologists, students, church folks, and anyone who's curious. No background required. You'll hear from a technologist, a philosopher, and a theologian, talking it through together: Michael Boone — NVIDIA Meghan Sullivan — Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good Paul Taylor — Bay Area Center for Faith, Work & Tech The Question What does it mean to be human when machines can think, create, and even talk like us? This isn't about whether AI will take your job, or whether it's "conscious." It's the deeper question underneath both: if a computer can do so much of what used to make us special — thinking, creating, judging, even having a conversation — what's actually still ours? Most conversations about AI end up stuck between two extremes: big philosophical ideas that never get put into practice, or company promises you can't check for yourself. We want to try something different — starting with real people and real technology that's already here, not hypotheticals. We'll dig into three everyday questions: Learning — If you can just ask an AI for the answer, what's still worth learning yourself? Connecting — We already talk to screens and bots all day. What does real human connection need that a machine can't give us? Work and life — As AI takes over more of our tasks, what happens to the sense of purpose that work used to give us? People have been wrestling with these questions for two thousand years. We're just asking them again, with newer tools in the room. Michael Boone leads Trustworthy AI Product at NVIDIA, where his team builds the transparency tools and processes that back up NVIDIA's AI commitments. He started out as a licensed civil engineer working on highway and transit projects before moving into tech. Prof. Meghan Sullivan is the Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy at Notre Dame and founding director of its Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. She's the author of The Good Life Method and Time Biases, and her course "God and the Good Life" has helped thousands of students think through what makes a life meaningful. Paul Taylor co-founded the Bay Area Center for Faith, Work & Tech after eighteen years pastoring a Palo Alto church, and now spends his time connecting faith and tech leaders across Silicon Valley. He's a regular voice in conversations about what it looks like to follow Jesus at the intersection of faith, work, and technology.