The mission of the Marianist Lecture is to
foster dialogue on Catholic thought and Catholic responsibility.
Timely Technology, Timeless Questions: AI and the Human Person
with Kyle Ballarta & Louis Kim
Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 4 PM
Mystical Rose Oratory, Chaminade University
Livestream: Mystical Rose Oratory Facebook page
Registration Encouraged, Not Required
About the Speakers
Kyle Ballarta is a technologist, venture capitalist, and scholar working at the confluence of technology, faith, and reason. His work focuses on emerging technologies offering systemic solutions to global challenges, and he currently serves as a subject matter expert at an applied sciences laboratory specializing in graph theory and artificial intelligence algorithms. In collaboration with Vatican institutes, Kyle has led projects advancing Integral Human Development in the digital age — supporting the Church’s navigation of moral and anthropological questions surrounding technology while promoting its ethical and responsible use in service to the human family. He has developed and led technology initiatives hosted at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and served as sustainable finance coordinator for Pope Francis’ Economy of Francesco.
Louis Kim works on the question of what should stay with people as machines take on more of what people do. A former vice president and general manager at HP, he ran businesses from a two-person venture he started inside the company to one turning a billion dollars a year; his teams shipped 3D-printed medical devices, the FDA-regulated factory that made them, and AI wearables built on large language models for customers including BMW. He co-founded Sprout, an immersive computer now on HP’s history timeline. He is currently a Master of Divinity candidate at Duke, focusing on end-of-life care, and advises companies on AI strategy and new ventures. He has spoken on AI and the human person at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Boston College, Princeton’s Center of Theological Inquiry, and the New York Encounter, alongside physicians, theologians, and executives. He is a contributing editor at Comment, where his essays cover technology, gift economies, and social change. He serves on boards at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, and a San Diego hospice.
About the Lecture Series
The Marianist Lecture is sponsored by the Marianist Center of Hawaii, Chaminade University, and St. Louis School.
The lecture fosters inclusive dialogue on Catholic Thought and Catholic Responsibility, gathering at the Kalaepohaku campus in a spirit of community and with a sense of place.
The Mackey Award for Catholic Thought is given to each presenter in honor of Fr. Robert Mackey, SM, the first President of Chaminade University. Fr. Mackey was a prominent figure in the civic and religious communities of Honolulu. This lecture series seeks to continue his commitment to Catholic Thought and Catholic Responsibility in the world.
The Mackey Award for Catholic Thought honors scholarly, community and faith leaders whose body of work advances the spirit, charism and educational mission of the Society of Mary and the Marianist Family.
This event is sponsored by:
