Welcome! This is a place for thinking about religion, science, and technology — and most of my commentary on that subject is in the blog linked at the top of the page.

I am Dr. Robert M Geraci, Professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College and author of Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics (Oxford University Press, 2010), Virtually Sacred: Myth and Meaning in World of Warcraft and Second Life (Oxford University Press, 2014), Temples of Modernity: Nationalism, Hinduism, and Transhumanism in South Indian Science (Lexington 2018), Futures of Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives from India and the U.S. (Oxford 2022).Futures cover

The tabs up above include links to my work, a minimalist archive of  my online presence, the aforementioned blog, and information for those wishing to retain me as a guest lecturer, public speaker, or consultant (in the videogame industry or perhaps in some new way).

If you’re looking to follow my work, find access to my research articles, or keep connected in a professional network, you can find me on Academia.edu. I’m occasionally on Twitter and LinkedIn (but I accept friend invites on the latter only after I know someone…so send an actual message on LinkedIn or email if you’re hoping to connect).

About

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I live, teach, and write in New York. I’m pretty sure that everyone loves robots, which is why I’ve written a book about them. People love games too, so I wrote another book.  I’m also interested in the toadstool circles, the ancient temples, the soaring cathedrals of our religious imagination. Likewise, the dark tunnels of mining and rapid transit. I visit mountains, deserts, temples, laboratories, factories, virtual realities…the places where magic enters the world.

Thanks to a Fulbright-Nehru Research Award, I spent 5 months at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 2012-13, during which I interviewed dozens of scientists in academia, industry, and hacker culture. The book is published by Lexington Press (an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield). It offers new insights into contemporary India and into methodology in the study of religion, science, and technology. In 2018-19, I was back on sabbatical and back in India–once again under the auspices of a Fulbright-Nehru award. While there I finished my latest book, Futures of Artificial Intelligence, and this has launched a broader move toward AI ethics.

These days, I’m collaborating with Prof. Yong Sup Song of Youngnam Theological University on a variety of papers related to the ethical use of AI and the development of moral AI. Our work has been supported by the National Research Federation of Korea and the American Academy of Religion.

Overall, my theoretical interest is in how we use technology to enchant and give meaning to the world and my practical interest is in advancing the AI ethics conversation to include global cultural values. I am a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion.

Contact

Email might be more reliable, but feel free to use this form.