What does it truly mean to be human in an age of intelligent machines? Michael Arena, Dean of the Crowell School of Business at Biola University and former executive at AWS and General Motors, joins Cheryl Goodman to explore the intersection of faith, technology, and human dignity in the AI era.
He shares his personal journey from the fast-paced world of Amazon to Christian higher education, how Biola is shaping future leaders to think ethically first, and why “building the humans that build AI” may be the most important mission of our time.
Sponsor: https://Perseverance.ac
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Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction — “We’re not just a set of outputs”
00:23 Sponsor: Perseverance.ac
00:41 Welcome and guest introduction: Dr. Michael Arena, Dean at Biola University
01:34 Ethics-first approach to AI education
03:17 From General Motors to AWS — Michael’s career journey
04:06 How faith and human dynamics guided his transition to academia
06:15 The meaning of being human in an AI-driven world
08:19 Fear, dignity, and the pace of technological change
09:54 Knowledge vs. wisdom — the essence of true learning
12:02 Protecting the inner human experience
14:04 Hearing God’s call and leaving Amazon
17:11 Finding balance in a distracted, tech-driven world
19:09 Teaching discernment and ethics to future AI leaders
21:12 Stewardship, not advocacy, of technology
22:28 Human skills that endure in the age of AI
24:40 Building empathy and trust in fast-paced teams
25:20 The power of ethical leadership in innovation
26:07 Accountability, truth, and faith in AI systems
29:18 Can AI ever truly understand the Word of God?
30:23 Why Christians must engage with AI, not retreat from it
33:07 AI’s dual nature — both dystopian and redemptive potential
34:50 “We build the humans that build AI”
36:14 What gives Dr. Arena hope about the future
38:06 Biola’s AI Lab, Studio, and adaptive MBA
39:22 Bringing industry leaders into the classroom
40:57 Final reflections — shaping the future with ethics and grace