Pope Leo calls for care for human dignity in encyclical on AI

By Sean Gallagher

In issuing the first encyclical letter of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV made a significant contribution to the Church’s social doctrine and how it applies to a contemporary society more and more shaped by digital technology.

This was the view of two theology professors in the archdiocese and the representative of the Church in Indiana in public policy debates in the state of “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” issued by the pope on May 25.

Phillip Thompson, who holds the Semler Chair in Ethics in the theology department of Marian University in Indianapolis, described the encyclical as “an incredible document” and a “very thorough, deeply theological, philosophical and sociological reflection.”

Edward Epsen, a theology professor at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, said the document was a good “summation of social doctrine” that applies that teaching to contemporary issues and encourages all Catholics to “translate them into action and advocacy.”

Alexander Mingus, executive director of the Indiana Catholic Conference, which represents the Church in Indiana in public policy debates in the state, said the encyclical “beautifully and comprehensively” summarizes Catholic social doctrine from Leo XIII in the late 19th century to the present.

“I feel like we are in a time of renewed appreciation and understanding of the beauty, wisdom and cohesiveness found in this body of teaching,” Mingus said, “and I think this encyclical will further that appreciation.”

‘It’s the central question’

Though much attention has been given to the pope’s reflections on artificial intelligence (AI) in the encyclical, Thompson emphasized the importance of the pontiff’s exploration in the document of what it means to be human.

That’s because the Church’s understanding of humanity stands in stark contrast to the “technological mentality,” which Thompson noted “is about “productivity, efficiency, profitability and progress. It understands people as either contributing to that or not really being important.”

He called for the promotion of a view of all people as “created in the image and likeness of God.”

“We need a deeper anthropology, and from that deeper anthropology comes all sorts of things like empathy, compassion and justice,” Thompson said. “And those are not at the center of the technological perspective.”

Part of promoting a deeper understanding of what it means to be human includes avoiding attributing human qualities to AI and other emerging technology.

Pope Leo said in his encyclical that “we must avoid the misconception of equating this type of ‘intelligence’ with that of human beings” (#99).

“They may imitate language, behavior and analytical skills, or even simulate empathy and understanding,” he continued, “but they do not understand what they produce, for they lack the affective, relational and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow in wisdom” (#99).

Epsen reflected that there’s long been a tendency in humanity to think of non-human creatures, such as wild animals and pets, or created things, like toys, in human terms.

“We have this incredible temptation, as human beings do, to project [human qualities] onto things that don’t have them,” he said. “The illusion is just more compelling with AI than it has ever been.”

‘Exactly the right time’

In “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo XIV expressed that he felt called to follow in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who addressed the revolutionary changes happening in society in the late 19th century through the Industrial Revolution.

Today, Pope Leo XIV said, the Church cannot simply repeat his predecessor’s teachings. “Instead,” he wrote, “we must ask God for the wisdom to interpret the great trends of our time, particularly technological advances” (#4).

At the same time, the current Pope Leo recognizes that there is a danger in applying the Church’s social doctrine at the beginning stages of AI, noting that such reflection on it “risks becoming quickly outdated, given the remarkable pace at which these systems are developing” (#98).

But it’s precisely because of the rapid changes happening in AI and their potential for wide-ranging effects that Pope Leo felt it necessary to offer “moral and spiritual discernment” about the role of emerging technology on society (#98).

Thompson said that this is “exactly the right time” for the Church to offer its thoughts on AI and human dignity.

“The speed of this is going to be so fast that we cannot afford to wait to come up with some general principles and approaches until the perfect moment,” he said.

Epsen noted that Pope Leo had “an extra motivation to get ahead of problems when there’s a chance to still do something about them.”

Nonetheless, because changes in digital technology are happening so rapidly, Epsen noted that “the main goal of the encyclical is not primarily about AI but about the summation of social doctrine,” which the pontiff then applies to the effects of emerging technology on society and the dignity of the human person.

Allowing for questions to be asked

A particular challenge to guiding emerging technology in ways that respect human dignity seen by the pope is that its development is largely powered by private companies and organizations “that are endowed with resources and the capacity to intervene that surpass those of many governments” (#5).

Mingus said that governments at the state and federal levels at present “are looking at AI primarily through a lens of economic growth and geopolitical strategy” and so are not motivated to put forward even modest regulations that could help defend human dignity from threats emerging in the digital sphere.

“I think that’s why Pope Leo is constantly reminding regulators to use courageous foresight and discernment to protect the ability for ‘communities to still be able to participate and ask questions,’ ” said Mingus, quoting paragraph 107 of the encyclical.

At the local level, many people are asking questions about AI, particularly regarding the move by a number of technology companies to build data centers. The discussion of those questions has in many instances either led to permission being denied for the construction of data centers or the companies withdrawing their request for clearance.

Mingus noted that the encyclical “in several places speaks of slowing down the development and rollout of AI enough to retain the ability for communities to ask questions and be involved.”

“This is the essential lesson for all involved at local and state levels,” he said. “Is the development of data centers actively contributing to the common good? What benefits do they bring to a community? Are there channels for communities to engage in this debate with appropriate time to discern whether the community wants to welcome a data center?

“In many cases, data centers are being pushed into communities without appropriate time to discern the long-term impacts of these massive facilities.”

Mingus noted that Cass and Marshall counties, both in north central Indiana, recently established the state’s first bans on data centers, which he described as “a clear indication of growing discontent with data center development.” Several other counties in the state have passed one-year moratoriums on data center construction approval.

“Ultimately, data centers have the potential to significantly alter the landscape while bringing minimal positive local impact,” Mingus continued. “They are driving the development of a global digital infrastructure and are not oriented toward the communities they exist within.”

Pope Leo identified leaders of technology companies seeking to construct an increasing number of data centers as one of various examples of the effect of emerging technology on society (see #101).

In light of that, both in his encyclical and at the press conference at which the document was introduced, the pope emphasized the need to “disarm AI.”

He applied that term to far more than AI’s increasing connections to weapons technologies used in combat.

Disarming AI for him means more broadly separating it from “a race for ever more powerful algorithms and larger datasets, driven by the desire to secure geopolitical or commercial dominance. To disarm means discrediting the assumption that technical power automatically confers the right to govern” (#110).

Epsen said the need to disarm AI is closely connected to social issues tied to the Industrial Revolution addressed by Pope Leo XIII in “Rerum Novarum” in 1891 which Pope Leo XIV is now applying to an ongoing digital revolution.

“There’s a real problem in many sectors of the economy which are dominated by a handful of companies that have an inordinate and disproportional influence over government and over the policies of government and therefore over our lives,” Epsen said. “To disarm [AI] would mean to take back some of the control to address the disparity of that power imbalance.

“It’s really about who has decision-making control over the conditions in which technology is used and ultimately the conditions in which we live our lives.”

Education and emerging technology

Pope Leo explores in his encyclical how the defense of human dignity in the face of challenges posed by AI affects issues related to education.

He wrote that authentic education “is a long journey requiring patience.” This stands in contrast to a “culture of immediacy and hyper-stimulation” fostered by digital technologies “which gives rise to fatigue, boredom and apathy concerning the effort required for seeking the truth” (#140, #139).

Epsen noted that the kind of “delayed gratification” at the heart of education is a fundamental aspect of Christian spirituality in which “ultimate happiness” is only found “in a resurrected life and in a world beyond this one.”

On the other hand, he said that our contemporary digital culture is awash with “devices that are trying to basically commodify us into units of attention to be sold to advertisers.”

In the classes he teaches at Marian, Thompson tries to steer away from such trends that harm human dignity and instead follows advice given by Pope Leo, who advocated for schools to build “rhythms that incorporate silence, in-depth study, reading and judicious analysis” into the instruction they provide students (#146).

“One small thing I do for all of my classes is that we have prayer and have one minute of silence where I ask the students to think about what their highest values are and how they’re bringing them into the class,” Thompson said.

These methods, he continued, aren’t motivated by “productivity or efficiency” but are instead geared toward shaping students “as fully human beings in search of … the fully human life.”

The Gen Z students Thompson meets in his classroom know well the negative effects of digital culture.

“I poll my classes, and they all think social media is bad,” he said. “There’s not one defender of social media.”

Yet, he said, they all continue to be active on social media platforms. So, Thompson has had students generate ideas of how to reduce their use of social media. They later report back on their experiences and what they’ve done with the time they’ve taken away from being online.

“Some of them were pretty surprised by how liberating it was to have some rules for this,” he said.

Building alliances

Pope Leo acknowledged in his encyclical the difficulties faced by parents in raising children to be fully human in the midst of a culture that seeks to draw young people more and more into a fully digital lifestyle that threatens human dignity.

For parents to do this successfully, the pope said, they must “form an alliance among policy-makers, educational institutions and families” that can form “far-sighted public policies … needed to oppose the immediate interests of platforms, concentrated in a few hands, when they conflict with the well-being of minors” (#142).

Mingus witnessed such an alliance form in Indiana earlier this year at the state’s General Assembly in the promotion and passage of House Enrolled Act 1408, which requires children 16 and younger to have the consent of their parents or guardians to set up an account on a social media platform.

The move to craft and pass the law was made in response to the killing of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee of Fishers, Ind., by an online predator who had lured her to a meeting with him.

Mingus said that it was an alliance of parents, “faith groups, advocacy organizations, and lobbyists” that helped move the bill forward to its passage.

“It is clear that this work is ongoing,” he noted, “and that we need to continue this type of momentum to help parents have more tools and not feel alone when navigating the digital world with their children.”

Mingus added that families in his faith community, St. Joan of Arc Parish in Indianapolis, “have formed the St. Carlo Acutis Parent Network, which provides a community for parents to navigate these challenges together.”
 

(To read Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical letter “Magnifica Humanitas,” visit cutt.ly/MHencyclical.) †