Will AI Replace Man’s Best Friend? A Dog-lover’s take on robot dogs

Last updated on: January 10, 2019 at 7:19 pm By Bruce Baker

AIs were popular gifts this past Christmas. Some of them were of the barking, tail-wagging variety. Robot dogs are becoming a “thing”. At present, only the more expensive, high-end dogs are equipped with AI, but soon even inexpensive toy pets will become AI’s. Future Christmases are sure to bring more AI pets into more households every year. The shape of these future pets is uncertain, because technology is advancing on three fronts simultaneously: AI, robotics, and genetic engineering. Each is... Read more

The Meaning of the City

Last updated on: January 6, 2019 at 11:43 pm By Michael Paulus

The city is an autonomous and intelligent multi-agent system participating in new creation. Read more

The Ecclesiology of Virtual Christianity: Oneness and Catholicity

Last updated on: April 10, 2019 at 4:56 pm By Mike Langford

I have been writing about The Robloxian Christians (TRC), a church that exists in the virtual world of Roblox. We first looked at the mission and then “reality” of TRC. Last time, we considered the extent to which a virtual congregation like TRC does not necessarily inhibit our relational nature, but can actually abet it. However, churches do not merely exist to provide us with a feeling of community. If that were the case, then “church” would be clubs, dinner... Read more

Advent for AI

Last updated on: December 12, 2018 at 8:52 pm By Michael Paulus

Advent reflections on broadening our imaginative engagement with AI. Read more

Forms of Creation

Last updated on: December 6, 2018 at 4:14 pm By Michael Paulus

Some medieval wisdom for the machine age. Read more

AI and the Apocalyptic Imagination

Last updated on: November 20, 2018 at 3:43 pm By Michael Paulus

Radical hope for the future is the great secret and power of the apocalyptic imagination. Read more

Real Dog, Robot Dog: Weapon, Pet, or Friend?

Last updated on: November 20, 2018 at 5:01 pm By Bruce Baker

This dog has something to teach us about being human. He appears in Blade Runner 2049, a great movie, IMHO. One of my favorite scenes is the climactic moment when the two protagonists finally meet. The next-gen “replicant” LAPD officer “K” (Ryan Gosling) has been searching for his mysterious predecessor, “Deckard”, the original Blade Runner (Harrison Ford). It’s a classic setup for a high-anxiety contest to discern whether they will be friends or foe. Fear ignites the tensions of fight... Read more

Utopian, Dystopian, and Apocalyptic Visions of Technology

Last updated on: November 13, 2018 at 4:52 am By Michael Paulus

The apocalyptic imagination provides a conceptual and narrative framework for reconciling our utopian hopes and dystopian fears. Read more

The Relational Ontology of Virtual Community

Last updated on: November 4, 2018 at 6:59 am By Mike Langford

Previously, I introduced the phenomenon of The Robloxian Christians (TRC), a church that exists in the virtual world of Roblox. We considered the impactful mission and dramatic growth of TRC; both would be the envy of any brick-and-mortar church. Later, we reflected on the question of if, in fact, TRC is a “real” church, which immediately begs the question of what “real” means. This led us to the thought of French philosopher Jean Baudrillard. His notion of hyper-reality describes a... Read more

Digital Withdrawal

Last updated on: November 1, 2018 at 12:37 am By Michael Paulus

A recent set of articles in The New York Times adds an interesting twist to the discussion of digital divides in our society—and highlights the need for a greater focus on formative practices related to digital technologies. Earlier this year I wrote about digital divides here and described three types of divides: divides related to access, literacy, and wisdom. When most people speak of a digital divide, they are referring to inequitable access to good computers and internet connections. While this... Read more