How to stay grounded in God amidst the rise of AI

Phil Eubank is the lead pastor at Menlo Church, one of the largest churches in Silicon Valley. As one can imagine, Pastor Phil has quite a flock of skeptical intellectuals and scientists in his midst. California ranks the 15th least religious state, according to Pew Research while the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most irreligious regions in the country, also according to Pew.

The Bay Area is known for its exquisite topography, but few see God’s creation at work. Rather belief in a divine power is replaced with secular humanism, a worldview centered on reason and science to solve the world’s problems while also defining human morality. It’s not to hard to imagine why such self-centeredness is pervasive.

In Silicon Valley, located in the southern part of the Bay Area, the world’s most successful companies, such as Apple, Google and Facebook were born. That region is also home to the most distinguished venture capitalists, such as Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. It’s where Stanford University, NASA’s Ames Research Center and The Computer History Museum are located. The region is bustling with what the material world would consider the smartest, most successful, and most self-confident people on earth. It’s not to hard to imagine why such self-importance is pervasive.

In a place like this, who needs God? And who needs God when man can create an artificial intelligence golden calf to worship?

Yet there’s some hope. Peter Thiel has been increasingly speaking publicly about his faith. He spoke at our events Culture, Religion & Technology 2021 and Culture, Religion & Technology 2024. Given his prominence in tech circles, more people seem emboldened to speak about their faith. Along with other technologists speaking out about their faith, Vanity Fair has since published a piece titled: Christianity Was “Borderline Illegal” in Silicon Valley. Now It’s the New Religion.”

What’s happening with faith in Silicon Valley and how is the church embracing AI? Who better to ask than Pastor Phil. He joined me for a conversation.