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Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas (MH) recalls Catholic social teaching while reminding Christians everywhere that the dignity of humanity is God-given. Focusing on communal care for each other, MH highlights repeatedly that all people have a responsibility for mutual care, which must not be constrained or removed due to technological development. The document positions AI as both a valuable tool and an existential threat to being fully human, before recalling the foundational doctrines of the Catholic Church, including human dignity and human rights. Catholic social teaching, for Pope Leo, becomes a way to confront the inhumanity of AI.
Central to this document is the idea that “every human being is created in the image of God and is part of a network of relationships that bind him or her to others, to specific populations and to creation” (point 73). This idea supports the advancement of Catholic social justice in the face of a technology (AI) that will only exacerbate human inequalities, create more environmental devastation, and change out notions of finitude and what is means to be human over time. In the face of AI’s growing power, Pope Leo reminds us that “More power does not necessarily imply something better” (point 93) and that advancements in technology require our discernment. This discernment is key since the use of AI over time can encourage people to lose their desire for human connections.
Crucial to His Holiness’s encyclical is the idea that “The use of AI is never a purely technical matter: when it enters processes that affect people’s lives, it touches on rights, opportunities, status and freedom” (point 102). AI is not morally neutral, and its use will have wide ranging impact on our generation and future generations, particular on conceptions of truth, hope, and social and ethical responsibilities.
Pope Leo encourages Catholics everywhere to do their part to responsibly engage with technology, sociality, and politics, building peaceful communities, societies, and civilizations through justice. The Pope acknowledges that social media and digital worlds bring with them a great deal of political polarization and emphasis on power rather than dialogue. To combat all of these issues the MH contends that “we must lay aside an individualistic and technical view of humanity” in order to cultivate an idea of the “human being as a creature embedded in a network of relationships with other living beings and with all of creation” (point 237).
The Magnifica Humanitas provides a bold Catholic vision of common good that recognizes the temptations and limitations of technology for social progress. It reminds Catholics that the goal of human life is not efficiency, technological innovation, and productivity but rather care for each other, human dignity, freedom, rights, and an overcoming of divisions.
Dr. Sarah Riccardi-Swartz is an assistant professor of religion and anthropology at Northeastern University.
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