At the start of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV signaled that he wants to address the growing prominence of artificial intelligence. This is a powerful commitment that is timely and much needed in our fast-paced global economy.
Looking around us, we see that AI is no longer a futuristic concept from the science fiction media of the likes of “Blade Runner” or “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Now, it is deeply engraved in every facet of life. As our world is radically redefined by this new Third Wave Industrial Revolution, the moral and spiritual authority of the Catholic Church is needed to provide oversight.
For the last two centuries, the Church has been a strong moral and theological voice during periods of social change. Whether navigating the Industrial Revolution with “Rerum Novarum” from Pope Leo XIII in 1891, or social, economic, and political challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic with “Fratelli Tutti” from Pope Francis in 2020, the Church has leaned in to steer the moral climate of the globe when social conditions go astray.
Now, as AI reshapes the nature of work, how we relate to one another, and how we participate in community life, the Church must again rise to provide prescriptions for people of goodwill. If it neglects to speak prophetically, it will enable leaders and business owners seeking to maximize profit and replace humans to change the nature of our reality.
Of all the areas that should stir hesitancy toward AI, the transformation of work has to be the pinnacle of concerns. When Microsoft co-founder and global philanthropist Bill Gates can declare that doctors and teachers will be obsolete in a decade, we should question how unfettered technological ideas can wreak havoc.
In many fields and sectors, AI is already causing job displacement. A report in 2023 found that in just one month, nearly 4,000 jobs were lost to the new tech. Even from this relatively small number, we can estimate that job losses fueled by AI are a month-over-month contribution to overall employment struggles.
Our Catholic teaching attests that work is more than a meager paycheck. It is a way we commune with God, St. John Paul II wrote in his encyclical “Laborem Exercens”:
“The word of God's revelation is profoundly marked by the fundamental truth that man, created in the image of God, shares by his work in the activity of the Creator and that, within the limits of his own human capabilities, man in a sense continues to develop that activity, and perfects it as he advances further and further in the discovery of the resources and values contained in the whole of creation.”
JPII knew that fighting against communism required not only being a geopolitical leader but also redeeming the morality of citizens in a spiritually oppressed Soviet Union. He understood that when man works, we help expand God's activity by deepening the understanding and purpose of what was established at the beginning of time.
For that reason, in an AI-overloaded economy that demands profit and cuts costs, the sacredness of work is disregarded, as is our purpose as stewards. In the process of worker displacement, how can we rightfully be partners if our roles have been supplanted by the artificial? God didn’t create the world with artificial means or without humans as co-workers. Instead, he established humanity with dignifying work to serve our vocation as managers of his creation.
To those concerned about workers' rights and justice, AI should be seen as a massive threat. Those making employment decisions with computers in mind don’t have to pay healthcare premiums or fair wages, uphold occupational safety and family leave, or worry about the loss of a day’s work. Simply put, this technology is a utopian dream that depreciates the human worker.
Beyond the realm of work, AI also raises significant ethical concerns. One use that has many worried is in surveillance technology. The matter is especially important in America, where we’re overly policed, profiled, and targeted unjustly. It is incredibly ominous that AI is being utilized to increase and even streamline unlawful law enforcement practices.
Things like facial recognition and police surveillance—often developed with good intentions for public safety—have stirred controversy, given how software often has discriminatory effects. Even the ACLU has flagged this type of technology as fueling systematic racism in policing practices that target vulnerable communities. If left unchecked, this flawed use of AI will incite further disenfranchisement and the loss of civil liberties. Moreover, the security measures themselves are rooted in bias that infringes on equal dignity and must be scrutinized.
The Catholic Church’s stance on human dignity and objection to the sin of racism must lead it to condemn the use of AI that disproportionately harms historically neglected communities. The catechism itself corroborates this:
“Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.”
(CCC 1935)
Insofar as AI has become a tool to perpetuate oppression, the Church must call it exactly what it is: a grave moral evil.
While AI is touted as an investment with significant benefits, to ignore the environmental impact would also be a major setback for a sustainable future. On an already environmentally compromised planet, additional erosion is something we all need to be aware of. Information and communication technology is projected to account for 16% of global emission by 2040. Moreover, it is well established that training AI language models can emit roughly five times the lifetime emissions of the average American car.
When it comes to devaluing human interaction, it is notable that AI is being proposed to replace humans for some functions of interaction, gaining a sense of belonging, and communal fellowship. We are already seeing this with human-like chatbots being programmed to replicate human personality. Meanwhile, as the birth rate goes deeper into the danger zone in many parts of the world, loneliness has become a social issue governments are trying to address. Japan, for example, has resorted to promoting AI relationships with digital companions for friendship and even matrimony. This all but opens a Pandora’s box of ethical concerns regarding sex and human sexuality, and a whole host of other issues. Needless to say, this is not the type of social experiment we need.
Studies show that a majority of Americans are skeptical and cautious about AI. Using this technology as a final hiring decision is strongly opposed by workers, with approximately 70% opposing it for this use, and for its ability to track workers. Hopefully, we are getting it right on the ground before wide-scale adoption. For far too long, we as a society have taken blind leaps of faith with social movements and macroeconomic policies that strip Americans of dignified work, so to see Americans become vigilant against AI is a positive step.
The Church understands that AI has grave moral consequences. If it didn’t, the Pontifical Academy of Life wouldn’t have published the “Rome Call for AI Ethics” in 2020 with global tech titans like IBM and Microsoft. The initiative issued six principles that need to be applied with AI, such as transparency, inclusion, and impartiality. The document could be a good starting point for a new papal encyclical, but it is not by itself enough to make a bold proclamation that the world can follow.
The Church must exercise her magisterial authority to not only advocate for the powerless crippled by expansive AI technologies, but also to uphold the immaterial aspect of our spirituality amid a culture that seeks to devalue it. As with all encyclicals, a papal document on AI must address both dimensions, because we live in a world that requires both social and spiritual stewardship on the foundation of loving God and neighbor.
In keeping with subsidiarity, the Church must also take steps to invest in education and pastoral guidance to critically engage with AI. Going beyond a “technological” concern, we must understand that AI presents a threat to the dignity of the human person and the sacredness of life. Across the country, especially in densely populated regions, from law enforcement to employment to education, AI is reshaping the lives and outcomes of many. Bishops, priests, and the laity all have a responsibility to form their consciences on how to critically engage. Perhaps even OCIA programs and other parish initiatives should be formed to equip not just catechumens and confirmation candidates, but all Catholics to discern the moral and spiritual implications of AI.
As the current pope grows in his role, I’m reminded of his predecessors who demonstrated their bold papal power and responsibility. From St. Leo the Great at the Council of Chalcedon giving a deathblow to heresy to Pope Francis blessing the world from an empty St. Peter’s Square during COVID-19, Leo XIV shares in the succession of pontiffs who captured the world’s attention with timely messaging. His papal authority will need to be exercised in a manner that provides a prophetic witness against unregulated and dehumanizing AI before it’s too late.
Efran Menny is a husband, father, and regular contributor to BCM. His work is informed by his experience as an educator and his studies in social work. He has a passion for elevating topics on justice and theology for Black Catholics.
