On May 25, Pope Leo released the first encyclical of his pontificate entitled Magnifica Humanitas, and Father Dave and Team Busted Halo delve into its contents.
Father Dave first gives an overview of the introduction and first two chapters of the encyclical. “He chose the name Leo largely after Pope Leo XIII, who was the pope in the late 19th century. This encyclical not only springboards off of the seminal encyclical from Pope Leo XIII Rerum Novarum, but also retraces all of Catholic Social Teaching,” Father Dave begins. “The Industrial Revolution was coming to a head…Pope Leo XIII identified that this progress now brings up a new era of ways in which we sinful human beings can now take advantage of one another, so let’s be on guard against this.”
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“One of the basic principles here in this document, Magnifica Humanitas, is that in some ways the major tsunami that was the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century is happening now with technology such as AI.” Father Dave continues. “He intentionally says that this is an encyclical on the dignity of the human person; in fact he calls it ‘safeguarding the human person in a time of artificial intelligence.’”
Father Dave, Brett, and Krista highlight their favorite excerpts of the encyclical. Father Dave says, “The focus again and again is on humanity, and how beautiful humanity is; created in the image of God. One of the sections that I pulled out, among many, is when the pope talks about how we have a tendency in our modern era to limit people and their value to how much they can produce or how efficient they are. He says artificial intelligence exacerbates this.”
He quotes the encyclical saying, “Pope Leo XIV says artificial intelligence ‘threatens to normalize an anti-human vision. In that vision, the fullness of life is equated with having more, reducing weakness, eliminating uncertainty and exerting total control. When efficiency becomes the ultimate measure of value, human beings are tempted to see themselves as a project to be optimized rather than as persons called to relationship and communion’ (No. 112).”
As Brett considers his field of social work, he highlights AI’s effect on therapy and how Pope Leo XIV speaks to this. “Pope Leo writes, ‘No computational system, however sophisticated, can create a heart that gives itself or a conscience that discerns good from evil. Even when machines excel in efficiency, a human face that asks to be gazed upon remains the center of our history. This human face is the fullness towards which history is moving’ (No. 233). I had to sit down after reading that one,” Brett says.
“We are so consumed by technology now, and I know I sound like an old Luddite at this point,” Brett continues. “I’m not against these things, but we keep getting further away from the human being as the center of this…How can these things help us be better? How can it make us be better with each other and treat each other better?”
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Addressing these issues can feel overwhelming, and Krista selects a portion towards the end of the encyclical that talks about how one can feel powerless to find solutions. “The encyclical says, ‘A subtle temptation may emerge, namely the thought that the problems are too big and we are too small, and that our choices, therefore, cannot make a difference. This is a polite form of resignation, often disguised as realism.’”
“[Pope Leo continues] ‘Certainly, not everyone has the same power to make a difference. There are those who govern, make investment decisions, lead institutions, conduct research, educate, produce or provide information, and then there are those who only seem to live their daily lives. Yet, no one is without responsibility. We all have our own areas for action, and it is precisely there — and nowhere else — that we must choose whether to fuel the mentality of force or to preserve the mindset of peace,’” Krista quotes.
Father Dave adds, “It is helpful to conclude a 42,000-word treatise on what could potentially be very wrong with the pope saying ‘Let’s not get overwhelmed and think we can’t do anything about it.’ There’s a temptation to say, ‘He’s talking about governments, wars, profits and the common good — what can little old me do?’ I’m glad he ends with this, because ‘little old me’ can do a lot.”
