This is a read of my latest article- The Soul in the Machine: A Spiritual Reflection on Articficial Intelligence.

https://bobhutchins.substack.com/p/the-soul-in-the-machine-a-spiritual

The following reflection is taken from my latest Substack piece, The Soul in the Machine, A spiritual reflection on AI. Lately, I’ve been sitting with some deeper questions—ones that don’t always make the headlines but seem to live just beneath them. We’re in a strange, significant moment. AI is evolving fast, yes—but so are we. Or at least, we’re being invited to.

This isn’t a post about tech hype or fear. It’s about attention. Presence. What we lose or forget when we rush ahead without asking: What is all this doing to us? Not just cognitively, but spiritually, emotionally, relationally.

I wrote this as a kind of pause. A chance to reflect—not on whether machines are becoming more human, but whether we’re remembering what it means to be fully human ourselves.

Thanks for listening.

Online conversations have become a battleground—cheering certain words, booing others. Ideas and nuance are lost to labels that divide and dehumanize. When did we start trading dialogue for definitions?  In "The War of Words: Why Our Labels are Destroying Our Humanity," I explore how we've replaced genuine communication with tribal jargon and reactive outrage. More than ever, it's crucial to reclaim empathy, curiosity, and humility to bridge divides rather than deepen them. The words we choose shape our world. Let's choose wisely. I honestly would really love to hear your thoughts on this. #communication #words

In this episode, I sit down with Christopher Summerfield, an Oxford neuroscientist and former DeepMind researcher who has spent his career studying how human brains work and how AI models can replicate cognitive processes. His new book, These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means, explores the evolution of AI from early chatbots to today's advanced language models.

We discuss the key breakthroughs in AI, the parallels between human and machine reasoning, and the ethical questions surrounding AI’s role in shaping our world. If you’re curious about how AI is changing not just technology, but human thought itself—this conversation is for you.

🔹 From Neuroscience to AI – Christopher's journey from studying human cognition to working at DeepMind was shaped by a key question: How do brains and machines process information differently?

🔹 The Transformer Revolution – The biggest breakthrough in AI’s ability to "talk" wasn’t just training on more data—it was the invention of the transformer model in 2017, which dramatically improved language understanding.

🔹 Do AI and Human Brains Work the Same? – AI can store knowledge and reason about it, but it lacks human motivation, creativity, and initiative, which are fundamental aspects of intelligence.

🔹 The Creativity Debate – Will AI enhance human creativity or dilute it? Christopher explores how generative AI is reshaping art, storytelling, and meaning-making in a world where machines can generate content.

🔹 AI’s Influence on Society – AI isn't just a tool; it’s a force that shapes human beliefs, behaviors, and decision-making. We discuss the growing concern over how AI-driven persuasion will impact advertising, politics, and workplace dynamics.

🔹 The Future of AI & AGI – Is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) just around the corner? Christopher believes we overestimate AI’s capabilities while underestimating the complexity of human cognition.

Christopher breaks down the difference between AI “hallucinations” vs. human memory—showing how confabulation in AI mirrors how people misremember events, and why truth and social norms in AI-generated content are still evolving.

📖 These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means – Available March 2024 on Amazon and major bookstores.

In this episode, I sit down with Shideh Doerr, a natural connector and networking ambassador with over 25 years in healthcare. Shideh’s journey took a turn when she co-founded JabberYak, a company designed to make networking more organic and meaningful. We explore her Persian-American roots, her transition from healthcare to entrepreneurship, and how JabberYak is revolutionizing human connection in business and education.

🔹 The Power of Connection – Growing up in a Persian household, Shideh learned the importance of hospitality and belonging, which became the foundation of her career.

🔹 From Healthcare to Innovation – After decades in healthcare, bureaucracy stifled her creativity, leading her to co-found JabberYak, blending technology with psychology to foster real conversations.

🔹 Seven Degrees of Connection – JabberYak is based on research showing that people are most likely to connect over seven key interests. This principle powers their tech and icebreaker tools.

🔹 Bridging Social Gaps in Business & Education – From corporate conferences to university campuses, JabberYak helps introverts and extroverts alike find their tribe, reducing social anxiety and loneliness.

🌐 Website: www.jabberyak.com 🔗 LinkedIn: Shideh Doerr

• Guest Spotlight: David Whitesock, founder of Commonly Well and creator of the Recovery Capital Index, discusses his mission to bring data-driven insights to addiction recovery and mental health.
• From Struggle to Innovation: David shares his personal journey from addiction and incarceration to law school, leading him to develop a measurable approach to recovery.
• Beyond Sobriety Metrics: Commonly Well challenges traditional recovery models by integrating behavioral analytics, long-term strategy, and human-centered data to improve patient outcomes.
• The Wellness Industry’s Blind Spots: David highlights the need to shift mental health care upstream, focusing on early interventions instead of only treating severe cases.
• Personalization vs. Universal Principles: The conversation explores how data can drive tailored wellness strategies while maintaining a shared foundation for mental health support.
• Future of AI in Behavioral Health: David envisions AI-powered insights, wearable technology, and psycholinguistics revolutionizing how therapists and organizations support recovery.

•  Connect: Learn more at commonlywell.com or find David on LinkedIn.

In his third appearance on The Human Voice, media theorist and science fiction author Paul Levinson shares a fascinating conversation about the timeless relevance of media ecology, technology’s role in human progress, and the myths surrounding information overload. Paul reflects on his seminal 1996 article On Behalf of Humanity and its argument that the issue isn’t too much information but a lack of organizational tools.

Drawing connections between historical innovations and today’s AI landscape, Paul explores the concept of “remedial media”—new technologies that solve problems created by previous ones—and how it applies to challenges like algorithmic bias and deep fakes. From his collaborations with media icons Neil Postman and Marshall McLuhan to his optimistic vision for technology as a force for good, Paul offers insights that resonate across decades.

The episode wraps up with Paul’s thoughts on techno-pessimism, the power of storytelling, and a fun recommendation for mystery fans: A Perfect Couple. He also highlights his recent alternate history book, Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles, imagining a world where John Lennon was never assassinated.

Key Topics Covered:

• Information overload vs. information organization

• Remedial media as a framework for technological progress

• AI, digital watermarks, and the future of human-machine collaboration

• Why techno-pessimism often gains more attention

• Recommendations for media and books

Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that spans history, technology, and the enduring human connection to media.

Chris Dauphin is an 18-year marketing and communications veteran, professional musician, sports fan, father, son, and human.  And he's a close friend. This was a fun interview that surfaced some deep truths about life, work, and the meaning of it all. Enjoy!

Some of my thoughts from an article I wrote for my Substack Newsletter about how we are all interconnected more than we know through this thing called the internet, technology, and AI.

And we are mimicking what Obi-Wan was sensing. 

“I felt a great disturbance in the Force as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.”

-Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars

This is a reading of my Substack Article- 

https://bobhutchins.substack.com/p/the-lost-art-of-questioning-can-ai

AI's evolving abilities highlight the humanness woven through good questions. (Prompts) As AI gets smarter, might it even start teaching us back by teaching us to ask those open-ended, thought-provoking questions that truly make us learn and grow? Here's a hopeful thought: perhaps AI can transcend mere information gathering, evolving into a catalyst for a culture that nurtures intellectual exploration. I unpack this more in my article.

Kendra Jones is a Futurist. 

With a rich history in high-tech strategic operations at Apple, and a strong academic foundation from MIT and the University of Houston, Kendra blends practicality with visionary thinking. Her endeavors span from hosting a futures-centric radio show to leading the Remote Futures Research Lab. Through her consultancy, LAKA,  Kendra embarks on exploring the intersections of technology, human interaction, and the uncharted waters of emerging tech, providing a nuanced perspective on the potential vistas of the future.

We talk about her origin story, her career, media insights, AI, and her personal connection to Marshall McLuhan as a child. 🤯 😀

This was a fascinating interview and one that you will want to listen to!

Alex Kantrowitz is a veteran journalist who's interviewed some of the world’s top CEOs, including Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, and Jack Dorsey. His company, Big Technology, serves more than 100,000 newsletter subscribers and tens of thousands of podcast listeners, delivering accessible news about the tech industry in weekly installments. He's also an on-air contributor at CNBC.

We discuss his journey as a tech journalist, include his time at BuzzFeed. We also discuss lessons learned, the future of tech and innovation, and why messaging apps are on the rise in popularity.