Catholics Leaders Embrace Pope’s AI Stance, Ponder Implementation
Who is AI for and who is it leaving behind?
Those were the central questions of Pope Leo’s first encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”).
By addressing the challenge and comparing it to the Industrial Revolution, the pope positioned the Catholic Church not as a casual observer of the tech age change, but an active participant in shaping its future.
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Experts in Catholic social thought have largely praised the document since its publication on May 25.
Daniel Daly, the founding executive director of the Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health, highlighted Leo’s emphasis on using AI technology to benefit the poor.
Daley, who appeared alongside a panel of experts Tuesday during a webinar organized by Georgetown University, said it was unfortunate that the wealthy and privileged were developing AI technology to extend their lifespan, while many in developing countries lack the infrastructure and equipment to use AI at all.
“Leo rejects the techno-optimist dogma that AI will produce a rising tide that lifts all boats,” Daly said. “The default position, unfortunately, is that AI benefits those patients … who generate revenue.”
Healthcare and education
Daly said Catholic healthcare systems, and healthcare systems in general, need to use artificial intelligence to better help patients in the most need. He recommended using AI to monitor patients in rural areas, to translate documents and medical information into non-dominant languages and to make systems more efficient to help serve the poor.
“Human healthcare professionals must be the norm,” he said, pointing out that human interaction and empathy, even with non-medical workers such as hospital janitors or orderlies, has been shown to help heal patients.
Daley acknowledged there is a healthcare worker shortage, but said “the solution to that isn’t AI-powered robots, it’s training more human healthcare workers. It is providing that kind of personal care. A robot could perform some functions, I’m not saying there’s no room for it. I’m saying they can’t replace the kind of care that is necessary in Catholic Healthcare institutions.”
The conversation also focused on how teachers and parents could help students spot misinformation and prepare them for an AI-saturated world.
“I teach at a big catholic university, and this is as big of an issue at catholic universities as high schools right now,” said Meghan Sullivan, the Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. “Let’s really expose these young people to things that are objectively beautiful, objectively true. Part of what we believe in our faith is that truth and beauty will naturally call out to the human soul.”
She said students must learn to savor what is true and beautiful and that schools should leave space for them to explore what captures their interest and imagination.
Bishop Paul Tighe, the secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education and a leading Vatican expert on AI, said students must be taught critical thinking skills and how to identify fake news, but they must also learn to appreciate the humanity and goodness of other human beings.
“The first thing we need to do is give our young people the experience of living in service of others,” he said. “It is in our nature to care for others.”
Caring for the environment
Archbishop Paul Coakley, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, touched on the importance of keeping Catholic teachings about caring for the environment in mind, too.
“How can decisions about data management, digital environment and algorithms be informed by local communities and intermediary organizations?” Coakley asked. “How can we restrict autonomous weapons, weapons systems, that display the human aspects of war that include conscience, human responsibility and the recognition of ‘others?’”
Throughout the conversation, the speakers made reference to another landmark encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” published during the Industrial Revolution, which condemned the exploitation of workers and advocated for the right to unionize. That encyclical, which waded into the economic debate of the time, pointed toward a more just social order.
Those themes are still very relevant today, the speakers said, as many labor sectors brace for the impact of AI, and Christian faith leaders seek to remind humans of their inherent worth.
“The main thing is to keep the human person, made in the image and likeness of God, at the center of these technologies,” Coakley said.
Cassidy Grom is the managing editor of Religion Unplugged. Her award-winning reporting and digital design work have appeared in numerous publications.