In recent years, artificial intelligence has quietly become a new space for spiritual inquiry. Millions of people are now turning to AI not just for information, but for guidance—asking questions about meaning, suffering, morality, and God. What does it mean for the Church when these conversations are no longer happening in parishes or with priests, but through algorithms?
Matthew Sanders, a technologist who has built major digital platforms for the Catholic Church—including projects for the Vatican Observatory and the Vatican’s Office for Migrants and Refugees—has been at the forefront of this shift. His latest initiative, Magisterium AI, seeks to bring the Church’s intellectual and spiritual tradition into direct conversation with users through AI.
In this conversation, we discuss:
Sanders’ career in technology, design, and spreading the Church’s message
What people are actually asking AI about faith and God
The risks of outsourcing spiritual authority to technology
What Pope Leo might say in his forthcoming encyclical on artificial intelligence
This is a conversation about technology, the Catholic faith, and the unexpected places where spiritual life is beginning to unfold.