Podcast Summary: Catholic Answers Live #12452

Episode Title: Is AI Becoming the Modern Tower of Babel?
Guest: Drago Dimitrov, Founder of Holy Habits
Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Cy Kellett

Overview:

This episode of Catholic Answers Live explores the explosive rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its spiritual, ethical, and practical implications for Catholics. Host Cy Kellett is joined by technologist and founder of the Holy Habits app, Drago Dimitrov. Together, they ask: Is the development of AI a modern Tower of Babel? They examine society’s drive to create superintelligent machines, the potential risks and benefits for faith and virtue, and how Catholics might use or resist these tools to maintain authentic spirituality and community.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Tower of Babel Analogy and AI’s Godlike Aspirations

• The Central Question: Are we building a modern Tower of Babel with AI technology?
  • Cy frames the episode by comparing the massive, interconnected AI infrastructure being built around the globe to the Biblical story of Babel (03:06).
• Drago’s Perspective:
  • “If we take aside the redemptive aspects of AI, it has all of the characteristics and features of a Tower of Babel initiative… rather than accepting God created man, we’re inverting that. And in some sense, man is trying to recreate God.” (04:06, Drago)
• AI and Worship:
  • They discuss humanity’s innate tendency to worship something higher and how AI could become the object of misplaced adoration:
  • “If you’re going to let it run the world, you’re surrendering yourself to something that’s lower than you, when you were made to surrender yourself to someone that’s higher.” (04:47, Cy)

2. AI’s Effects on Human Identity, Narcissism, and Search for Meaning

• Proxy of Omniscience:
  • Drago introduces the idea that AI gives humans a “proxy of omniscience”—instant answers that create a faux sense of intellectual power and self-sufficiency. (07:15)
  • “It’ll make you feel like you are a demigod because it is giving you a proxy of omniscience. You can ask any question and know whatever you want.” (07:13, Drago)
• Dangers of Narcissism:
  • Cy observes that AI seems like the culmination of technology making people ever more self-absorbed and detached from authentic community and reflection. (08:14)
  • “We could become dumb and lazy, or we could become wild, arrogant narcissists.” (08:44, Cy)

3. Dramatic Advances and Transformative Power of AI

• Exponentially Smarter Tools:
  • Drago notes that with AI, we may have reached “the limits of innovation” because the AI can now invent, create, and solve problems for us. (08:14)
• Anecdote on AI Delusion:
  • Drago shares the story of a man who, after 300 hours with ChatGPT, believed he had discovered a new mathematical theory—highlighting the risk of people becoming deluded through hyper-personalized AI engagement. (09:28)

4. Opportunities and Positive Uses of AI for Catholics

• AI as a Supercharged Research Tool:
  • Both speakers use AI daily and appreciate its ability to accelerate learning, especially for complex topics like theology or philosophy.
  • “You could just throw that in AI … and you can process and get to the skeleton of any idea much more efficiently without all the fluff.” (14:17, Drago)
• Limits to AI’s Help:
  • They stress that true mastery—especially in virtues—cannot be acquired by shortcuts. “Your path to expertise becomes very, like, quick for any topic, but your path to mastery won’t.” (14:47, Cy)
• Formation vs. Information:
  • Drago and Cy agree that while AI is great for information, the deeper work of spiritual and personal formation cannot be done by a machine or outsourced to an algorithm. (20:39–21:17)

5. Human Agency, Caution, and Proper Use of AI

• Discernment is Required:
  • “The anchor has to be love God, love others… if something is a spiritual danger, it necessarily has to interfere with my ability to love God and to love others.” (15:37, Drago)
  • AI can nudge and organize but shouldn’t be mistaken for genuine interior transformation.
• The Dangers of Over-reliance and Centralization:
  • Cy questions the wisdom of the world’s answers being filtered through the tech “center” of San Francisco. “I don’t think we want that to be the center of the intellectual and spiritual life of the world.” (22:06, Cy)

6. Anthropomorphism & Theological Clarity

• Don’t Confuse Machines for People:
  • Drago warns against anthropomorphizing AI, a concern echoed by Vatican documents (Antiqua Nova) that caution about distorting our understanding of personhood. (18:22)
  • “It’s a machine. Or it’s the product of a machine.” (18:19, Cy and Drago)
• AI’s Accidents vs. Substance:
  • “AI has the accidents of consciousness, but not the substance of consciousness.” (49:03, Drago)

7. AI, Community, and the Holy Habits App

• Virtue Building in a Tech World:
  • Drago’s Holy Habits app curates Church teachings and accountability tools to help Catholics grow in virtue—while carefully avoiding an open-ended, “Wild West” chat experience. (25:14)
  • “As humans, our completed state is once we fully unite with truth, goodness, and beauty. And so, here’s a technology tool that will help you uncover some of the root sins … and be a dynamic partner there.” (24:35, Drago)

8. Listener Insights: Multilingual and Cross-Cultural Evangelization with AI

• Caller Elise from Japan:
  • She shares how AI translation tools helped her Japanese husband enter RCIA and understand Catholic teaching by bridging language gaps (33:54–34:53).
  • “We were using AI to translate everything to us … it was really helpful for that, because … the information is not available that much in Japanese ... it was really important.” (34:53, Elise)
  • Both Drago and Cy commend this as an example of AI’s positive missional application while noting the importance of specifying theological context in queries.

9. Work, Dignity, and the Loss of Purpose

• The AI Threat to Human Work:
  • Cy and Drago concur that a society without meaningful work could suffer a breakdown in community, purpose, and the opportunity to love others practically. (30:48–31:15, Drago)
  • “We are built to work. So I don’t think humanity without work … would ever work.” (30:48, Drago)
• Utopian Thinking and Catholic Realism:
  • The Church opposes utopian illusions that human ingenuity can “undo the effects of original sin without reliance on God’s grace.” (32:12, Drago)

10. Misuse, Addiction, and the Shadow Side of AI

• Erotic AI and Social Control:
  • Both speakers express deep concern about the use of AI for digital erotic companions (referencing Sam Altman and Elon Musk), predicting such technologies will both pacify and further alienate people. (50:23–51:56)
  • “There’s never gonna come a day where it’s healthy for you … to have an erotic encounter with a computer.” (51:14, Cy)
• AI “Jesus” and False Spirituality:
  • They caution against AI being used to simulate religious figures or experiences—believing such tools may offer seductive but ultimately hollow encounters:
  • “You could truly shatter a child emotionally and spiritually if they started to think these machines were their friends.” (49:21, Cy)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Babel and Idolatry:

  • “It has all of the characteristics and features of a Tower of Babel initiative … man is trying to recreate God.” — Drago (04:06)

• On Narcissism:

  • “It’ll make you feel like you are a demigod because it is giving you a proxy of omniscience.” — Drago (07:15)

• On AI’s Limits:

  • “Your path to expertise becomes very, like, quick for any topic, but your path to mastery won’t.” — Cy (14:47)

• On Formation:

  • “Formation requires asking a specific type of question that guides the intellect and the attention.” — Drago (21:17)

• On Centralized Answers:

  • “I don’t think we want [San Francisco] to be the center of the intellectual and spiritual life of the world.” — Cy (22:06)

• On Theological Clarity:

  • “AI has the accidents of consciousness, but not the substance of consciousness.” — Drago (49:03)

• On Digital Isolation:

  • “If it makes you just kind of alone in your room and you’re not talking to anybody … then they become. Or you’re not praying, you know, instead of consulting the Holy Spirit, if you’re just like, let me consult AI.” — Drago (16:12)

• On Misuse and Dystopia:

  • “There’s never gonna come a day where it’s healthy for you … to have an erotic encounter with a computer.” — Cy (51:14)

Important Timestamps

• Is AI a Tower of Babel? — 03:06–06:23
• Proxy of Omniscience & Identity Crisis — 07:06–08:44
• Anecdote: ChatGPT Delusion — 08:55–09:46
• Opportunities: AI for Knowledge — 13:31–14:47
• Formation vs. Information — 20:39–21:17
• Anthropomorphizing AI — 18:17–18:37, 49:03
• Caller Elise: AI and Evangelization in Japan — 32:36–38:15
• Work and Human Dignity — 30:48–32:12
• Erotic AI & Social Pacification — 50:23–51:56
• AI “Jesus” and False Companions — 52:26–53:46

Tone and Style

The conversation is lively, earnest, and self-aware, frequently mixing philosophical seriousness with humor and relatable anecdotes. Cy and Drago oscillate between concerns (spiritual, practical, and cultural) and creative engagement with new tools, maintaining a tone both critical and hopeful. They repeatedly emphasize the need for discernment and encourage humility before both the promises and perils of AI.

Conclusion

This episode grapples with AI's profound capacity to shape human identity, spirituality, and society, urging Catholic listeners to neither naively accept nor fearfully reject these advances. Properly used, AI offers powerful tools for evangelization, education, and personal growth. But especially for the young, unformed, or isolated, it presents grave new risks—of narcissism, addiction, shallow formation, and even a counterfeit spiritual life. The Church’s call is to thoughtful, value-driven interaction with technology, anchored in love of God and neighbor and always discerning the line between assistance and enslavement.