As said by Elay Shech in this piece in the NY Times:
"The problem is that there is no single scientific method used in all of science." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/o...

Both science and religion certainly influence personal and political decisions, but better to couch that as "My interpretation is X or Y, and here's where my expertise comes in, but here's where I could be wrong."

It's a similar issue with studying science. A good general rule of thumb is if someone says, "The science is clear..." or "The Torah (or Bible) is clear..." followed by a blanket statement, there's likely a high level of confidence, but not necessarily a lot of competence.

This, too, had a incredibly diverse number of signers across the political spectrum -- it's definitely a bit strange to be on the same list as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sir Richard Branson, Susan Rice, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Yuval Harari! superintelligence-statement.org

The second letter was from the Future of Life Institute, stating quite simply "We call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is (1) broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and (2) strong public buy-in."

I hope that this letter (and its signatories) help influence the ways in which AI is developed and used. www.americansecurityfund.com/_files/ugd/1...

It was incredible how a diverse religious coalition could coalesce around most policies surrounding AI, and this is an area where most religious leaders are small-c conservative -- including liberal religious leaders, and that’s a real positive.

In fact, that DIFFERENCE b/w Judaism and Christianity was a potentially huge strength of this letter -- there was a general consensus about the need for regulation, to center humanity, push for transparency, ensure safety for children, fight against bias, protect privacy & work for the common good.

Since it was mainly right-leaning Christians, at least a couple of times, there was talk about "Judeo-Christian" values. I pushed back against that language, and said that Judaism and Christianity are different religions, different traditions, and different ways at looking the world.

The first came out of a conversation I just had at the Vatican, and run by the American Security Foundation. It was mostly evangelicals, Catholics, LDS elders, and policy-makers who focus on religious liberty, and if nothing else, I think I added one important nuance to the conversation.

But for those of us who celebrate and love science, inquiry and freedom, we need more than just "It's not fundamentalism." We need deeper discussions and offer frameworks and structures that inspire not just the head, but the heart and soul, as well.