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In this wide-ranging conversation, we were joined by three renowned experts in the field of bioethics, medical ethics, and their intersection with technology. Braden Molhoek, Ted Peters and Sara-Jo Swiatek discuss gene editing, transhumanism, access, and the way our faith traditions can inform these very difficult decisions.
Meet our Speakers:
Host: Gilad Berenstein Is currently working in venture capital in Seattle after founding and leading a successful travel personalization startup and serving as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2). Gilad holds masters and undergraduate degrees from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.
Braden Molhoek is Director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences and the Ian G. Barbour Assistant Professor of Theology, Science, Ethics, and Technology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Ethics and Social Theory from the Graduate Theological Union, Master of Theological Studies from Boston University School of Theology and a Bachelors in Genetics and Religion from Ohio Wesleyan University. His research interests focus on how science and technology can shape our understanding of what it means to be human. He was presented and written about assisted reproductive technologies, regenerative medicine, gene editing, transhumanism, human enhancement, AI, and computer-brain interfaces.
Rev. Dr. Ted Peters is the Distinguished Research Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and co-founder and co-editor of the journal Theology and Science. Ted has historically focused on ethics related to the human genome and stem cell research, and is currently studying issues related to transhumanism and data technology. He holds masters degrees from the University of Chicago and Trinity Lutheran Seminary and a PhD from the University of Chicago. His most recent edited book is The Promise and Peril of AI and IA: New Technology Meets Religion, Theology, and Ethics (ATF 2025). You can find more information on his website.
Sara-Jo Swiatek is an ethicist who specializes in Christian ethics, Kantian moral philosophy, and technology ethics. She holds a Masters in religious studies and PhD in religious ethics from the University of Chicago Divinity School. She is currently an adjunct professor in the Theology and Religious Studies Department at Seattle University, where she has been teaching since the autumn of 2023. Her research is centered on the question of moral agency, and what it means to have moral faith in a time of rapid technological change and innovation.
Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of AI and Faith or any of its leadership.
Production: Pablo Salmones and Penny Yuen
Host: Gilad Berenstein
Guests: Braden Molhoek, Rev. Dr. Ted Peters and Sara-Jo Swiatek
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39
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