By Kayleen Holder
Editor
As sales of “humanoid robots” to the general public are officially projected to begin by the end of next year, Pope Leo calls attention to social isssues on many of our minds, for Catholic and non-catholics alike.
Since 1740, just 300 encyclical letters to address major social, and moral issues have been released. On May 15, Pope Leo XIV released an encyclical letter titled “MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS… ON SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE TIME OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE”.
The lengthy 245 paragraph document addresses many perspectives.
The following is just one chapter of the lengthy document addressing the moral dilemma of rapidly expanding artificial intelligence:
“The res novae of our time
- While Leo XIII spoke in his time of “new things” ( rerum novarum), today we cannot limit ourselves simply to repeating his insightful teachings. Instead, we must ask God for the wisdom to interpret the great trends of our time, particularly technological advances. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident how rapidly and profoundly digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are transforming our world. Technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity. On the contrary, it has formed part of our history since the beginning as “a profoundly human reality, linked to the autonomy and freedom of man.” [5] Over the centuries, technological development has significantly improved the living conditions of humanity. At the same time, each phase of progress has also revealed the ambiguity of tools that can cause harm when not oriented toward the good. Today, however, we find ourselves facing a new situation. The power and prevalence of emerging technologies are interwoven into the fabric of daily life, shaping decision-making processes and deeply affecting the collective imagination: “Never has humanity had such power over itself.” [6] New technologies open up a horizon extending in directions that are imaginable but not yet fully predictable. This complicates the assessment of their potential impact and the long-term effects they may have on both the dignity of individuals and the common good.
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