Magnifica Humanitas addresses the question of what might happen to the human person in this age of rapid artificial intelligence and advanced technology.
I have begun reading and studying Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. What I hear him saying, as well as a number of commentators who are critiquing the encyclical, is that he is very concerned about the detrimental effects of AI. Though he says that technology is not “inherently evil,” he strongly states that it is “never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it.”
Reading all of Magnifica Humanitas, it is easy to get the impression that Pope Leo sees AI in a rather negative light. Though he does not simply reject AI, he seriously warns against its misuse. One statement that caught my attention was in paragraph 140 where Pope Leo says that “The speed and ease with which answers or summaries can be obtained risk extinguishing the desire to ask questions, which is a process that bears fruit only over time,” and that “we must learn, then, how to exercise restraint in the use of AI.”
I confess that I have already become accustomed to asking ChatGPT (a computer application created by OpenAI that mimics human intelligence) to summarize long articles for me, excerpt certain portions from a piece of writing, or create an outline. I find it quite helpful at times and a useful way to do research. I can understand Leo’s warning but can also see value in using AI in this way. Certainly, I am trying to take his warning to heart.
I have taken a great deal of time to read the encyclical and many commentaries about it. The source that I have found most useful is Maryknoll’s Office of Global Concerns publication, Pope Leo’s New Encyclical on AI. There one can find the full text of the encyclical, ten selected quotations, Maryknoll’s response to the encyclical, official Holy See resources, a Vatican study guide, and a slide presentation for each of the encyclical’s five chapters.I think it is worth noting that the subtitle of the encyclical is Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. In a number of places, Pope Leo addresses serious concerns about AI and the threats that digital technology poses to humanity. I would like to highlight five statements in which he speaks of these concerns.
Pope Leo is very concerned that AI is leaving many people behind while being developed and controlled by only a small number of powerful economic and technological actors.
#95. “In many cases within the digital context, control over platforms, infrastructure, data and computing power does not rest with States, but with major economic and technological actors. These entities effectively set the conditions for access, determine the rules of visibility and shape the very possibilities for participation. When such power is concentrated in the hands of a few, it tends to become opaque and evade public oversight, increasing the risk of distorted forms of development that give rise to new dependencies, exclusions, manipulations and inequalities.”
#96. “Faced with this concentration of power in the digital world, the criteria for judgment and discernment in this new situation are the noble principles of Social Doctrine: the inalienable dignity of the human person, the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity and social justice.”
Another serious concern Pope Leo has about AI is that it can undermine human dignity by treating people merely as instruments for productivity and efficiency.
#52. “I consider particularly insidious the ideology that suggests that every person must earn or justify his or her own worth, to the point of attributing greater value to those who are more efficient or effective. From this perspective, persons end up being reduced to a means of achieving results, a resource to be used and exploited, and are no longer recognized as a proper end in themselves who should never be instrumentalized.”
#53. “The fundamental dignity of each person, therefore, is neither acquired nor earned, nor does it need to be justified. The recent Declaration Dignitas Infinita offers a summary of the Church’s thinking on this subject: ‘Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.’”
Pope Leo’s commitment to peace is evident in his concern about the use of AI in warfare. He questions the continued validity of traditional just-war reasoning in the modern world.
#197. “The Holy See has recently observed that the growing ease with which autonomous weapons systems can be deployed makes war more feasible and less subject to human control. This violates the principle that armed force should be used only as a last resort in cases of legitimate self-defense. For this reason, the development and use of AI in warfare must be subject to the most rigorous ethical constraints, to guarantee respect for human dignity and the sanctity of life and to avoid a race to develop such arms.”
#192. “Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defense in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the ‘just war’ theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated. Humanity possesses far more effective and capable tools for promoting human life and resolving conflicts, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness.”
Another of Pope Leo’s concerns is the effect of AI on work and employment. He warns that technology should serve workers rather than force workers to adapt themselves to technology.
#150. “Today, the convergence of automation, robotics and AI is rapidly transforming the very structure of work. It is said that this will bring great improvements for everyone. In reality, however, the ‘new ways’ of working are not necessarily better, for while AI promises to boost productivity by taking over mundane tasks, it frequently forces workers to adapt to the speed and demands of machines, rather than machines being designed to support those who work. As a result, contrary to the advertised benefits of AI, current approaches to technology can paradoxically de-skill workers, subject them to automated surveillance and relegate them to rigid and repetitive tasks.”
#152. “It is certainly desirable for technology to relieve humans of arduous, repetitive or dangerous tasks and to provide intelligent support for human activity. Yet, the protection of employment opportunities and the irreplaceable role of the individual must remain the general rule. The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good.”
Pope Leo recognizes the benefits of AI but also warns about its environmental impact.
#101. “The gains in efficiency and the potential to improve certain services are clear, yet rapidly and uncritically adopting them exposes us to a range of risks, including the tendency to overlook the environmental impact. Current AI systems require enormous amounts of energy and water, significantly influencing carbon dioxide emissions, and place heavy demands on natural resources.”
As Pope Leo begins his encyclical, he says that AI calls us to discernment. In paragraph 6 he writes that “crucial questions impose themselves on our conscience and can no longer be avoided: Where are we going? Toward what goal do we wish to orient ourselves? What direction should we choose as a people and as a human community?”
Pope Leo uses biblical imagery to offer two possible paths. Interpreting this imagery, ChatGPT summarized his message in the following way:“We can use technology to build a new Tower of Babel—a world of pride, profit, control, and dehumanization. Or we can use technology like Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem—working together to create a society based on human dignity, justice, solidarity, and the common good.”