AI and the Human Mind: Intelligence, Imitation, and the Illusion of Personhood
This class, “AI and the Human Mind: Intelligence, Imitation, and the Illusion of Personhood,” explores how artificial intelligence both illuminates and distorts our understanding of what it means to think, feel, and be human.
It begins by examining the difference between genuine intelligence and its simulation, emphasizing how easily people project emotion and consciousness onto machines.
The session introduces the concept of anthropomorphism—the human tendency to attribute mind and motive to nonhuman agents—and traces how AI is increasingly used in psychology, from analyzing brain data and detecting mental health patterns to offering therapeutic chatbots for stress and anxiety. These technologies can help people, yet they also carry profound dangers: emotional dependence on nonconscious systems, confusion between compassion and computation, and the erosion of real human connection.
The class then turns to theological and philosophical reflections, considering the Imago Dei—humanity’s unique reflection of divine reason, creativity, and moral freedom—and asking what it means to create tools that mimic but cannot embody these traits. Participants are invited to discuss how AI challenges our concepts of wisdom, responsibility, and relational depth, and to consider practices of discernment that preserve the human mind’s contemplative and spiritual dimensions in an increasingly artificial world.
No technical background is required—just curiosity and an open mind.
Whether you’re a student, a worker, a policymaker, or simply AI-curious, this is your chance to engage with one of the most important conversations of our time.
