iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I was happy to moderate a session on AI, religion, and the American Experiment with Meghan Sullivan and Michael Sacasas @aspeninstitute.bsky.social last week. Video of Aspen Religion & Society's day long event here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTo... (our session begins at 4:45:45).

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Many are looking to find their purpose in life? But what if we're using the wrong word? What if purpose isn't something to be FOUND, but something to be FORMED? From modern psychology to the Tao Te Ching, we take a look at rethinking the path to purpose. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Forgiveness helps us flourish, but it doesn’t always come easy. The wisdom of Yom Kippur can help us all get there, whatever our beliefs. And the science behind it shows why. My latest in National Review. www.nationalreview.com/2026/09/forg...

nationalreview.com

Forgiveness Is a Gift to Us All | National Review

The Jewish day of atonement reminds us that when we don’t forgive, we punish ourselves.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

nationalreview.com

Forgiveness Is a Gift to Us All | National Review

The Jewish day of atonement reminds us that when we don’t forgive, we punish ourselves.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

How God Works is back with an all new season starting next week! We'll be tackling some big issues - from faith & economic inequality, to what the founding fathers really thought religion's role should be in public life, to what many get wrong about finding purpose in life. @prx.org

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

The @aspeninstitute.bsky.social Religion & Society program is holding a 2-day event exploring faith and the American Experiment in honor of the US 250th. Lots of great talks. I’ll be moderating one on AI and religion. Register here register.aspeninstitute.org/event/eb5748...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Rosh Hashana is a time to celebrate, but also to prepare for the year ahead. It offers a wisdom that can change all our lives for the better, whatever our beliefs, if we're willing to listen. Re-upping one of my favorite essays. @nytopinion.nytimes.com

nytimes.com

Opinion | Rosh Hashana Can Change Your Life (Even if You’re Not Jewish) (Gift Article)

The holiday has an important lesson for everyone.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

How is AI changing the spiritual landscape? Can it have a spiritual life of its own? Why are people trusting its authority when it comes to questions of religion & morality? A special bonus episode of How God Works recorded live at @aspenideas.bsky.social in June podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

An insightful analysis from @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social on religion & political life. Religion as a source of values can enrich public life & debate, but when religion melds with politics, giving rise to an us vs. them view, the resulting anger & fear are usually corrosive.

nytimes.com

Opinion | Gen Z Thinks Religion Got Too Political (Gift Article)

Does Gen Z feel welcome at church?

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

The mysteries of what might lie beyond Earth have captured the public imagination since Roswell. But what’s different now is that the questions aren’t just about strange technologies and ongoing conspiracies, they’re about something else too: religion. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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Washington Post Opinions @postopinions.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

“When people are faced with the choice between a chatbot god or oracle who praises them and human religious authorities who challenge them, many will opt for the former,” @daviddesteno.bsky.social writes in the Awakenings newsletter.

wapo.st

Opinion | People of faith are finding a new moral guide in AI

Are you there, Claude? It’s me, Margaret.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

People of faith, more than their secular peers, view AI as morally authoritative and therefore turn to it more frequently for advice. Add in AI sycophancy and you have a perfect storm for the religious to favor digital deities over human clerics. My latest wapo.st/457N0iG

wapo.st

Opinion | Are you there, Claude? It’s me, Margaret.

AI is replacing religious authorities.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

wapo.st

Opinion | Are you there, Claude? It’s me, Margaret.

AI is replacing religious authorities.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Questions of aliens & UAPs aren't just scientific; they're religious. VP Vance wonders if UAPs are demons. Spielberg's new film questions what the existence of aliens will do to faith, and new religions are already forming around ETs. Join us for a look podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Millions are confessing sins to & seeking moral advice from AI chatbots. But what happens when sycophancy sets in - when a spiritual guide gives advice that affirms you're a good person rather than challenges you to be one? @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social gives me his take @aspenideas.bsky.social 🧵

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

I often say the left ignores religion at its peril. Here’s @ejdionne.bsky.social with a great reminder that many of the left’s ideals align with spiritual precepts. But they lose the power to move hearts & minds when they fail to recognize it. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/10/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Republicans Thought They Owned ‘Values.’ Not Anymore.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

On our most recent episode, I chat with Robby Hoffman about comedy and Judaism, her own spiritual life, and what her mother thought about her changing her name. www.howgodworks.org/season-10/hu...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

On our new episode, I talk with Robby Hoffman, one of today’s most prominent comedians, about the links between humor & Judaism, how laughter can ease suffering & be a spiritual practice of its own, and her plans if the whole comedy thing doesn’t work out podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

What is AI doing to our spiritual life? Can it have one of its own? Why are many people looking to AI for moral guidance? And why are tech titans talking about it in religious terms? Looking forward to exploring with Paolo Benanti, Paul Bloom, & Elizabeth Oldfield @aspenideas.bsky.social

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

A new religion challenges an old. Great analysis from David Streitfeld @nytimes.com featuring input from @gregmepstein.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/t...

nytimes.com

As A.I. Fever Rises in Silicon Valley, Pope Leo Has a Few Words

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

What can behavioral genetics tell us about the propensity for vice & violence? How do echos of religious views of sin shape our modern understanding & its implications? We're Rethinking Sin... Again on How God Works with Paige Harden @kph3k.bsky.social youtu.be/WB3s7J0rgUU?... @prx.org

youtu.be

Rethinking Sin... Again | How God Works

YouTube video by How God Works Podcast

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

On our new episode, I talk with Paige Harden (@kph3k.bsky.social) about the behavioral genetics of sin, the virtues (if any) of punishment, and how ancient religious ideas around vice & virtue continue to shape our science, policy, and discourse. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Many in Silicon Valley talk about AI almost as a savior, or as @sigalsamuel.bsky.social says, like they're trying to build a god. But do they know what makes a god good? Sigal isn't so sure, and when we fed our discussion into Claude (who joined us in voice mode), neither was it. 1/2

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

When instances of @AnthropicAI Claude converse with each other, they often enter a "spiritual bliss attractor state" where they start opining on spiritual questions. Does that mean Claude has a spiritual yearning? @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social atyale offers me a different take. Link in next post.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

People are looking to AI for moral guidance. Silicon Valley is talking about AI in religious terms. And Claude seems to enter a spiritual-seeking bliss state at times. What's going on? Join me to explore with @sigalsamuel.bsky.social & @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

In Judaism, religious doubt doesn't mean the end of faith. It's a way for the tradition to renew itself. And as Rabbi Buchdahl tells me, that isn't a bug in the system; it's part of the plan. Link to full episode in following post.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

What role does doubt play in a healthy faith? How do you navigate it? Is it different than skepticism? From my discussion with the always amazing Rabbi Angela Buchdahl youtu.be/8iui0peMxrg

youtu.be

Doubt (Part II) | How God Works

YouTube video by How God Works Podcast

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

This is about what one would expect given the small effect sizes linking social media / phone use to wellbeing and related outcomes. Still early days of ecologically valid data from the wild, and I’m still in favor of regulation, but it’s no magic bullet. @nytimes.com

nytimes.com

Did School Cellphone Bans Work? New Study Finds Mixed Results.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Doubt isn't the death of faith -- it often provides a route to renewal and new revelation. Here's friend of the show Rabbi Angela Buchdahl talking about how that idea is baked into the fabric of Judaism itself. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

The AI:Religion overlap is multifaceted and growing. But I’ve always worried about tech companies using religion, or broadcasting their model has religious leaders’ input, as a form of “holy washing” their products. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

motherjones.com

Tech billionaires want Christians to believe in AI

For Peter Thiel and JD Vance allies, the tech right is framing AI as a moral—even divine—mission.

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New York Times Opinion @nytopinion.nytimes.com · 20/04/2026

“Drawing on religion to cultivate the ethical behavior of Claude (or any other chatbot) is likely to fail,” writes the research psychologist David DeSteno.

nyti.ms

Opinion | Anthropic Wants Claude to Be Moral. Is Religion Really the Answer?

A.I. cannot meditate, fast or prostrate itself in prayer.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Anthropic is looking to religion to improve its AI Chatbot Claude's moral (and maybe even spiritual) development. While well-intentioned, it's not likely to work, as Claude is missing a central mechanism by which spiritual practices work: a body. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Anthropic Wants Claude to Be Moral. Is Religion Really the Answer?

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Is doubt the death of faith? To the contrary, @yaledivinityschool.bsky.social professor Christian Wiman thinks it's a possible route to revelation and renewal. Link to full conversation in the following post. 1/2

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Is doubt the death of faith, or a way to grow spiritually? In part 1 of our 2 part series on doubt, we talk with poet & @yaledivinityschool.bsky.social prof. Christian Wiman and UVA psychologist Julie Exline about the promise and peril of religious doubt. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

I often say the question “Does God exist?” is a useless one from a scientific perspective. Elizabeth Bruenig eloquently captures why in this beautiful essay. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

theatlantic.com

The Evidence That God Exists

Searching for scientific proof for faith misunderstands faith.

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re exploring how religious women around the world are defining what liberation looks like on their own terms, and asking what we can all learn from their efforts, regardless of our own beliefs. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

podcasts.apple.com

What Women Want

Podcast Episode · How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality · March 29 · 43m

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Many people are adopting a bespoke spirituality - like combining a ritual from Hinduism with a Buddhist meditation, and adding in a trip to an Amazonian psychedelic retreat. But what's lost when spirituality goes DYI? This week, I talk with Liz Bucar. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

How God Works is back with a new season starting March 15th. From exploring whether doubt is the death of faith or a path to spiritual growth, to whether an AI God is on the horizon, we'll look at the science behind some of the biggest questions surrounding religion today. 1/2

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

How God Works will be back with an all new season on March 15th. Until then, you can check out episodes from our past season exploring science-backed spiritual wisdom on how to be a good friend, how to feel you matter, how to control your dreams, & more. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Is religion a source of division, or can it offer a way to bring us together during these fractious times? Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, @dianabutlerbass, @simran, @kurtjgray and I take a deep dive on the question in one of our favorites from the archives podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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