Science & Faith Symposiums Event

Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School would like to extend a warm invitation to join us for the second event of our NBS Science and Faith Symposiums community evenings on Monday 26th January 2026 (17:00-19:10pm).

Tickets are FREE and can be booked here

Topic

Artificial Intelligence - Tool or Weapon?

This session is the springboard of our evening events series titled 'NBS Science and Faith Symposiums'. Our students (Yrs 11-13), their families, and parish priests will get to hear from a variety of experts in theology, science & technology, share a meal, and take part in rountable discussions and activities to reflect on the relationship between these disciplines. We want to discover, dialogue, and discern together.

In this talk, Dr Tomislav will first introduce what AI actually is and how it works, demystifying the technology that's increasingly shaping our world. He'll then reflect on AI through the lens of Catholic social teaching, revealing both the opportunities it offers for human flourishing and the genuine threats it poses to human dignity and the common good. Drawing on his research, he'll share insights from a study examining how people use AI for spiritual direction, exploring what happens when we bring our deepest questions and struggles to these tools. Finally, he'll identify key areas where Catholics can actively engage and shape how AI is developed and used, showing that we're not just passive recipients of this technology but can be active participants in ensuring it serves authentic human good.

Zac Johnson will be focusing on how Truthly can be used in ministry, how the Church will engage with AI, and practical use cases, and the key differences between Catholic AI and secular AI.

If you have any questions, please email Miss Gallego (gallegom@nbs.herts.sch.uk).

Confirmed Speakers

Dr Tomislav Karačić

Dr Tomislav's journey began with a simple question: How do we come to know things through tools? 
This question took him from studying philosophy and communication sciences in Zagreb, to mathematical logic in Amsterdam, and finally to a PhD in information systems where he left his armchair to study how real organisations use AI. 

After conducting ethnographic research at a plant breeding company and moving to the London School of Economics as a researcher, he discovered his true calling when he realised he was using AI in his personal life to study theology and do Bible studies.

Today, as an Assistant Professor at LSE, Catholic AI is his full focus as he explores how Catholic social teaching can inform the development of AI systems that lead to human flourishing.

Zac Johnson

Zac Johnson, co-founder of Truthly, graduated magna cum laude from Notre Dame Law School, clerked for two federal judges, and practiced corporate litigation before co-founding Truthly. He has also served in parish ministry and led street evangelization teams, giving him a rare mix of intellectual precision and on-the-ground missionary experience. 

Zac now leads Truthly’s content ecosystem, social presence, and thought leadership, building the voice and vision that power the platform’s impact.