The biggest thing in Spirit Tech this week

Catholic Leaders and AI Builders Unite

The Builders AI Forum convened under the theme "Uniting to Shape AI Before it Shapes Us." Now in its third year, it brought together religious leaders, AI entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors in Rome to explore how AI can support spiritual life while preserving human dignity and connection.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, who leads the Vatican's AI commission, called for greater dialogue between technology builders and religious communities, urging builders to consider not just what the technology can accomplish, but what kind of world it helps create. Participants included builders of Magisterium AI and the prayer app Hallow.

Other speakers emphasized that AI should support rather than replace human relationships and spiritual formation, and even got into the emerging question of machine consciousness.

For Spirit Tech builders, the forum offers a reminder that designing AI for spiritual life requires more than technical expertise or ethical guardrails. Working alongside and in dialogue with spiritual institutions, practitioners, and their communities can reveal where AI genuinely adds value, where it risks replacing something essential, and how to build technology that truly serves the people it's intended to benefit.

Also this week

Neurotech's Hidden Privacy Problem

A year long investigation published in the journal *Science* found that some consumer neurotechnology companies are collecting vast amounts of brainwave data (e.g. EEG) to train AI models without clearly informing users.

The investigation examined 57 companies collecting electroencephalography (EEG) data, and uncovered significant gaps in transparency:

• Nine companies were developing brain foundation models without initially disclosing this use in their privacy policies.
• Four had no privacy policy, while another 11 had policies covering only website visitors.
• Only six explicitly ruled out selling brain data, and more than two-thirds allowed data transfers if the company was acquired.

As neural data becomes increasingly valuable for AI development, informed consent is critical. The opportunity for Spirit Tech companies is to establish higher standards through explicit, separate consent for AI training, transparent data practices, and meaningful user control. Companies that build these protections into their products could differentiate themselves as the Spirit Tech sector matures.

Psilocybin Steps Closer to FDA Approval

Compass Pathways completed its application to the FDA on November 9th for COMP360, a synthetic psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression.

The submission is supported by two successful Phase 3 trials and a Phase 2b study involving more than 1,000 participants. If approved, COMP360 could become the first FDA-approved classic psychedelic medicine, marking a historic milestone for psychedelic-assisted therapy. Compass is preparing for a potential U.S. launch in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approval.

A week earlier, Psychedelic Alpha reported that nonprofit Usona Institute had submitted its own application for psilocybin for major depressive disorder, although Usona has not yet confirmed the filing.

Both Compass and Usona have received FDA National Priority Vouchers that could accelerate the approval process.

While neither treatment has been approved yet, the filings mark a potential turning point for psychedelic medicine, bringing a much-needed treatment option for people living with depression.

Company Spotlights

• Zenimal: Screen-free meditation and sleep device that gives kids, teens and adults calm at the press of a button. There’s no screen, no ads and nothing to scroll, just guided meditations and sleep sounds. The new Zenimal Connect adds a nightlight and lets parents record bedtime stories in their own voice. Zenimal has been featured on TODAY, CNBC, and sends devices to schools and children’s hospitals.

Explore our Spirit Tech Organizations directory, a living map of 500+ orgs we track and update weekly.

New Jobs This Week

• Member of Technical Staff @ Slingshot AI: Build the models, training infrastructure, and evaluation systems behind Ash, "the first AI designed for mental health," from design through launch. London.
• Senior Product Manager, Core Experience @ Ingenio: Own retention and lifetime value for Keen — advisor matching, experimentation, and the post-first-conversation experience — at the company behind 20+ spiritual and emotional-wellness marketplaces. San Francisco (hybrid) · $175k–$200k.
• Manager, Publishing Operations @ Thatgamecompany: Lead the project-management team behind storefront submissions, app-store optimization, and launches for the studio behind Sky and Journey. Remote (US/Canada) · $126k–$148k.

Browse the Spirit Tech jobs board for more roles, or to post one at your organization.