In this time of profound change, it is vital to find ways of staying human - and to do so within a constructive story of spiritual and civic renewal. A society destabilised by the failure of the hyper-liberal philosophy of the past forty years now also faces the rapid advance of artificial intelligence and the likely displacement of jobs at scale. Serious questions lie before us: How can we restore our common life? How can we stay human?
In this episode, Matthew Sanders confronts the realities of the new industrial revolution now unfolding through AI: its rapid timeline, its profound effects on work, livelihoods, and meaning. Drawing on his practical experience of the industry and on a deep understanding of the Catholic Social Teaching tradition, he shows what must be done to uphold human agency and mitigate the risk of social unrest. Sanders sees the local church not as a fading institution but as the essential bulwark to preserve conscience, vocation and belonging. This sobering lecture reveals the vital need for formation in authentic anthropology, and the deeper purpose of Christian witness in our time.
Matthew Harvey Sandersis Founder and CEO of Longbeard, the leading mission-driven technology company building faithful, Catholic-oriented artificial intelligence. The Longbeard team has developed some of the most significant Catholic AI initiatives in the world, including Magisterium.com a powerful large language model trained exclusively on official Church documents and ancient Christian manuscripts; Vulgate AI, a dedicated tool for biblical access and study; and Ephrem, the world’s first fully dedicated Catholic AI. Sanders is committed to creating technology that fosters human solidarity, serves the Church, and challenges the dominant technocratic paradigms of our age. He is also the founder of the Builders AI Forum and has served as a digital strategist for numerous Catholic nonprofits, creating ethical tech platforms for evangelisation and environmental education.
Read the text of the lecture: AI, the Future of Work and Christian Discernment
This is the fifth in our Staying Human series. This event was convened and moderated by Jenny Sinclair, Founder Director of Together for the Common Good, and took place on 20 May 2026 in London before an invited audience. This was followed by a round table with 30 leaders, and a small parliamentary discussion: download a report about Sanders’ visit here
Learn more about Together for the Common Good at t4cg.substack.com
Listen to our sister podcast, Leaving Egypt, where we read the signs of the times and explore what it means to be God’s people in these times of unravelling: leavingegypt.com
Get full access to Together for the Common Good at t4cg.substack.com/subscribe
