Max Tegmark | AI at the Crossroads: Wisdom, Power and Moral Courage

What does it mean to keep wisdom ahead of rapidly advancing technology? In this episode of Today’s Conversation, Max Tegmark, professor and AI researcher at MIT and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute, explores the urgent question of how society can ensure artificial intelligence empowers — rather than endangers — human flourishing.

In this episode, Max Tegmark joins NAE President Walter Kim to unpack the profound opportunities and alarming risks posed by AI. Drawing on vivid analogies, historical lessons and real-world examples, they examine why the stakes for wisdom, foresight and moral courage have never been higher.

In their conversation, they discuss:

• Why wisdom must stay ahead of technology’s power — and what happens when it doesn’t;
• How past successes in safety engineering, like airbags and the FDA, offer a roadmap for responsible AI development;
• The urgent need for faith communities to raise AI as a moral issue, not just a technical one; and
• How re-centering the conversation on stewardship and responsibility can shift priorities toward the common good.

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Resources

• “Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” by Max Tegmark
• The Future of Life Institute
• Redemptive Artificial Intelligence, NAE podcast with Andy Crouch
• You Are Not a Machine, Spring/Summer 2025 edition of Evangelicals magazine