MTA Year-End Report: Historic Invitations and African Expansion

Dear Friends,

This year found us stretching heavenward and traversing distant continents. Here's what the Association accomplished.

In-Depth Marketing Research

With the generous help of SEO and marketing guru Kurt Manwaring, the Association made a serious investment in market research to understand better which demographics resonate most strongly with our message and how best to reach them. Kurt's diligence and expertise resulted in valuable insights and a detailed plan for website and podcast content that will soon launch. Stay tuned!

Community Outreach

Interview from our forthcoming podcast recorded at the Reproductive Frontiers Summit In addition to hosting engaging monthly conversations on diverse topics like Georgism, runaway superintelligence, harmonizing faith and science, and biocomputers from our home base in Provo, we attended several events in communities with shared concerns, including a Palladium issue launch party in Washington, DC, the Reproductive Frontiers Summit in Berkeley, CA, and the Doomer Optimism Campout in Story, WY. These trips resulted in several delightful interactions: hearts were touched; minds were blown.

MTAConf 2025: Transformation through Renewal of the Mind

Keynote Panel at MTAConf 2025 On October 18, we gathered in Provo for our annual conference exploring the intersection of scientific research and spiritual practice. Neuroscientist Michael Ferguson from Harvard shared groundbreaking work in neurospirituality. Randal Koene, a pioneer in whole brain emulation research, challenged us to consider substrate-independent minds. And Thomas McConkie offered contemplative wisdom for navigating faith in transformative times.

In my address, “Reviving the Strenuous Mood,” I drew on William James and Joseph Smith to call us beyond cynicism and passive comfort. James reminds us of our innate capacity for struggle. Young people today are tired of pessimism; they’re ready for earnest, courageous work. As Jason Crawford puts it: “We have energy. It must be directed. We have indomitable will. It needs a goal.” The MTA exists to help channel that energy toward compassionate and creative exaltation.

Thanks to everyone who supported the conference. Full recordings of the conference will soon be available; keep an eye on our Youtube channel.

Organized Intelligence Conference: A Historic Milestone

Yours truly speaking at Organized Intelligence In early November, I was honored to present “What Is Intelligence? Insights from Latter-day Saint Scripture” at the Organized Intelligence conference, held in the Church Office Building on historic Temple Square. This was a landmark moment for the MTA. Our invitation to speak at this venue—the same conference where an apostle of the Church addressed attendees—signals growing recognition that the questions we've been exploring for nearly two decades deserve a seat at the table in mainstream Latter-day Saint discourse.

The Restoration offers a unique lens on artificial intelligence: if intelligence is eternal and multifaceted, then our AI creations may represent new ways of organizing that eternal substrate. I invited the audience to approach AI development with theological humility, to prioritize human agency in our technological choices, and to value the irreplaceable collective intelligence that emerges from communities and relationships.

TransVision Abidjan: The First Global Transhumanist Congress in Africa

The highlight of the year was an ambitious journey to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Four American MTA leaders joined our African counterparts from Nairobi for the first-ever TransVision conference held on African soil. The conference addressed how to leverage the benefits of transhumanism for African development.

An historic encounter in Abidjan We toured the breathtaking basilica at Yamoussoukro, visited the LDS temple in Abidjan, and had an atypical Thanksgiving in sweltering heat. On November 27–28, we presented at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University alongside transhumanists from around the world. Marcus Flinders, our Chief Legal Officer and a former missionary in Abidjan, spoke on barriers to progress in developing communities. MTA’s Africa Regional President, Screven Usi, addressed digital identity. MTA Co-Founder Lincoln Cannon introduced “Sankofa Futurism,” connecting African ancestral wisdom to transhumanist aspiration. And I shared “Faith in the Future,” a vision for accelerating African development through education, blockchain technology, and faith-based community building. Throughout the event, MTA Operations Manager Jonathan Bolonda was on hand to provide needed interpretation between French and English.

We also gave a fireside to a crowd of enthusiastic young people following their stake conference. One of the mission presidents remarked that our message could be especially helpful for encouraging more pragmatic, active faith among the Saints in Abidjan. The trip confirmed our sense that the MTA has real potential for growth in Africa.

Key takeaway: transhumanism’s call to use technology for human flourishing resonates powerfully across cultures. The “strenuous mood” isn’t just a Western import—it’s a universal human capacity that traditional African wisdom has celebrated for millennia.

Looking Ahead: Call for Speakers 2026

Our Utah Valley chapter continues to host monthly gatherings on second Sundays at 8pm Mountain Time, both in-person in Provo and via Zoom. We’re building our speaker lineup for 2026 and want to hear from you or someone you know.

Whether you’re working on cutting-edge research, exploring philosophical questions, uncovering Mormon history, building transformative technologies, or bridging disciplines in unexpected ways—we want to create space for your voice. This is low pressure: even if you have just a half-formed idea, we can help you develop it. And if you’re preparing a talk for another venue, this is a great opportunity to refine your message with an audience that asks the deep questions.

​Fill out the speaker survey to start a conversation.

Your Support Makes This Possible

None of this work—the conferences, the travel, the growing global community—happens without the generosity of our donors. Every contribution, whether large or small, helps us keep speaking at tables where our voice matters, building bridges across continents, and nurturing a vision of faith and technology working together for human flourishing. If this work resonates with you, please consider making a gift to sustain and expand it in the year ahead.

Thank you for being part of this community that dares to believe we can build Zion—not by waiting passively, but by laboring together with every tool ordained of God.

Forging onward,

Carl Youngblood President & CEO Mormon Transhumanist Association