Artificial intelligence is remaking the world of music, technology, and even daily life. On The Drew Mariani Show, listeners offered moving testimonies about how AI is shaping creativity while stirring deep questions about human identity. Throughout the conversation, Drew and his guests kept returning to the same essential point. AI can imitate many things, but it cannot imitate the human soul.
Drew opened the hour by noting that an AI-generated country song had reached the top of the digital charts. That prompted a call from Arlene in New Mexico, who shared a story that surprised even her. Her son, who has no formal musical training, used AI to compose a song for his daughter. She said the music had a strong flow, the lyrics were meaningful, and the overall effect was genuinely beautiful. She was moved both by the creativity and by the healing that came through the song. Her son wrote the lyrics himself and then used AI tools to build the band and arrangement. As a lifelong musician, she admitted she was amazed at what the technology allowed him to express.
Drew turned to Dr. Eugene Gan from Franciscan University, who affirmed that her son had done something good. He took real human experience and used AI as a tool to lift it higher. Dr. Gan cautioned, however, that there is a difference between using AI to support human creativity and replacing the human heart entirely. He said, “It is quite another thing to have AI create the entire thing from scratch when it really does not understand the human experience.”
Another caller, Maritza from Florida, agreed. She described herself as an ordinary consumer of music and acknowledged that AI might become a successful niche. Still, she insisted that people need the human touch because human beings have souls. Dr. Gan called her insight exactly right. He warned that problems arise when society begins treating AI as if it were a demigod or something sentient, instead of what it truly is: a tool. Nothing more.
Nick then raised a concern about how easily people begin to personify AI. He noted that the culture increasingly refers to AI creations as if they were human performers. Dr. Gan again warned that confusion about the dignity of the human person creates openings for abuse, especially when powerful groups begin using technology to shape culture or control others. He urged listeners to remember that Catholics are called to be not only pro life, but also pro human. Moments like this invite us to speak with others about what it truly means to be created in the image and likeness of God.
Finally, Peter from Connecticut, who works in AI, offered a helpful insider’s perspective. He said that AI often appears more intelligent than it is. In reality, he explained, it knows nothing. It only knows how to complete a sentence. He encouraged listeners not to be intimidated and reminded everyone that AI remains a tool that still requires human guidance. When asked about Elon Musk’s vision of billions of humanoid robots, Peter said he was grateful that someone grounded was steering the technology. He believes AI can be helpful as long as human beings remain in control.
The hour revealed both the creative possibilities of AI and the spiritual questions that surround it. Catholics can approach AI with prudence, discernment, and hope. Machines can compute and imitate. Human beings alone can love, create from the heart, and know the God who formed them.
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