
Secure Talk Podcast · 2026-04-07 · 53 min
The West has been building AI like it's the apocalypse. China has been building it like it's a tool. That one difference - rooted in centuries of philosophy, theology, and cultural storytelling - may be the most important thing nobody is talking about in the AI debate right now. SecureTalk host Justin Beals sits down with scholars Bogna Konior (NYU Shanghai), Mi You (University of Kassel), and Vincent Garton to explore their co-edited book "Machine Decision Is Not Final: China and the History and Future of Artificial Intelligence" - and what it reveals about the hidden assumptions driving the decisions we make about AI governance, security, and society. What this conversation unpacks: → Why Western AI fear traces back to Christian theology - not rational risk analysis → How the Chinese term for AI literally means "human-made wisdom ability" - no alien mind implied → The 2019 Elon Musk vs.