Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger may not have been able to save the company from bankruptcy, but he may be able to save the souls of Christians with AI. After Intel, he joined Gloo, a company that positions itself as a technology platform that connects to the ecosystem of faith. Here’s what Gelsinger has to say about his new job.
Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger may not have been able to save the company from bankruptcy, but he may be able to save the souls of Christians with AI. After Intel, he joined Gloo, a company that positions itself as a technology platform that connects to the ecosystem of faith. Here’s what Gelsinger has to say about his new job.
«My life’s mission has been to work on technology that will improve the quality of life for every person on the planet and hasten the coming of Christ,» says Pat Gelsinger.
According to PC Gamer, in 2013, Gelsinger founded Transforming the Bay with Christ, a «coalition of worthy capitalists» that sought to convert people to the Christian faith. He also helped found William Jessup University, a Christian university that later awarded Gelsinger an honorary doctorate.
Speaking at a seminar at Colorado Christian University earlier this month, Gelsinger called AI «another Gutenberg moment,» referring to the invention of the movable-type printing press around 1450, and then gave a rather optimistic assessment of the church’s response to the technology.
«The church embraced this great invention of the time to literally change humanity. So my question today is: Will we embrace [and] shape artificial intelligence as a technology that will truly become a powerful embodiment of the church and an expression of the church?» Gelsinger said.
However, Gloo avoids leaning too strongly towards a specific religious perspective and states that it is open to all religions that wish to use its technology.
«We’re not trying to take a theological position: We’re building a technology platform and then providing enough customization so that Lutherans can use it, Episcopalians can use it, Catholics can use it, Assemblies of God can use it,» Gelsinger said.
Gloo claims to have «over 140,000 faith, ministry, and nonprofit leaders,» which isn’t a huge number compared to AI leaders who boast over a billion weekly users. The company has created the Flourishing AI initiative, which ranks its most popular models based on how well they support users’ faith and spiritual growth.
Gelsinger said he wanted Zack Zuckerberg to remember that. The Meta boss, who grew up in a Reform Jewish family and describes himself as an atheist, said in 2016 that «religion is very important.»
Earlier, a new phenomenon appeared on the digital services market — religious chatbots, which are turning into a mass tool for spiritual practices. Millions of users in different countries turn to AI every day with their confessions, doubts, or requests for support, receiving answers generated based on sacred texts.
