In his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas: On the Protection of Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, Pope Leo XIV presents himself as a modern Pope for the modern world. Offering moral guidance on the digital revolution and emerging technologies such as AI, he could not have chosen a more pertinent topic. Taking a pragmatic approach, Leo’s underlying premise — that technology is not a “force antagonistic to humanity” — is welcome. But it is never neutral, as he says, “because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it”. In a broader discussion of Catholic social teaching, Leo states that “any attempt or plan to eliminate or subjugate a nation is gravely immoral and therefore unacceptable’’. On that basis, Iran’s often repeated aim to wipe Israel off the map, is gravely immoral and should be emphasised, alongside Vatican calls for peace. Likewise, Vladimir Putin’s war to subjugate Ukraine.
Leo emerges from the letter as an observer of history, noting that “even during the Cold War, despite the existence of serious conflicts, there remained the awareness that a new world war had to be avoided at all costs’’. In contrast, at present, he says, “We are witnessing a real paradigm shift in public discourse and in decisions regarding rearmament, with a troubling revival of war as an instrument of international politics.’’ Regional conflicts that drag on over time, escalating tensions and reciprocal threats are becoming almost commonplace, and forms of conflict driven by the desire for territorial expansion that were thought to be overcome are re-emerging. “We are also witnessing a disconcerting loss of historical memory, as first-hand accounts of the Holocaust and the two world wars are disappearing. This leads to a selective or distorted rewriting of the past, in a context where fake news and the manipulation of narratives obscure the lessons that have been learned.”
Without a living memory of the horrors of war, he says, “political decisions risk being made on the basis of power alone, without any consideration for the long-term consequences”. In urging a vigilant approach to AI, Leo emphasises that the technology “does not possess a moral conscience, empathy or affective, relational or spiritual capabilities”. It demands legal frameworks, independent oversight and user education. Or in other words, good guardrails. In the education sector, AI needed careful oversight and rules. “AI is typically designed to be maximally helpful and minimise cognitive effort. Yet productive cognitive effort is the very thing needed for learning to occur.” When students rely on AI to do their work, learning is damaged. At one point in his encyclical, Leo urges not only society, but the Church itself, to carry out “an examination of conscience’’. That is an integral part of a journey towards justice, he says, which includes acknowledging harm done, just reparation and taking steps to prevent injustices being repeated.
AI has much to offer the world in terms of economic development and making inroads on poverty and disease. And given the near-worldwide scope of Catholic schools, universities and hospitals, Pope Leo is ideally placed to take a lead on AI being adopted with good guardrails in education and other social endeavours. Leo signed the encyclical on May 15, 135 years to the day his predecessor and namesake, Leo XIII, also issued a landmark encyclical, “Rerum Novarum, on the Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour” on May 15, 1891. It too, responded to the social changes of the day, emphasising the responsibilities of employers, the rights of workers to a living wage and to organise, and the right to private property. It also affirmed that the family “has at least equal rights with the state in the choice and pursuit of things needful to its preservation and it’s just liberty’’.
Source: The Australian
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