The Vatican released a new document on the relationship between artificial and human intelligence, and Father Dave highlights sections of the 30-page note. “Antiqua et Nova,” is a joint project between the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
“The first few words in the English translation begin with, ‘wisdom, both ancient and new,’” Father Dave begins. “The note praises the potential of artificial intelligence, but also offers some caution. It says, ‘As AI advances rapidly toward even greater achievements, it is critically important to consider its anthropological and ethical implications. This involves not only mitigating risks and preventing harm, but also ensuring that its applications are used to promote human progress and the common good.’”
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“One of the things this document distinguishes is human intelligence versus artificial intelligence, and like many things, for us to not get lost and just assume it’s all the same,” Father Dave says. “In the same way when we talk about social media, the word community is used a lot…let’s just parse out how we’re using the word community when it speaks about a bunch of people gathering at Mass versus saying ‘I’m on Facebook.’”
“It’s the same thing with artificial intelligence,” Father Dave continues. “We’re using the same word [intelligence], but let’s parse out what it means when they said anthropologically or having to do with the human person. What do we believe is unique about the human person, even distinct from all of God’s creation?”
He quotes the document saying, “Although advanced AI systems can ‘learn’ through processes such as machine learning, this sort of training is fundamentally different from the developmental growth of human intelligence, which is shaped by embodied experiences, including sensory input, emotional responses, social interactions, and the unique context of each moment.””
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Father Dave elaborates, “It says AI cannot currently replace moral discernment or the ability to establish authentic relationships. So it’s like saying AI is great, but let’s not just sit back on the couch and think it can do everything…there’s things that we should not relinquish.”
Brett notes how pervasive the technology already is in daily life, such as across Google platforms, and how the ethical implications are still unfolding. He says, “It’s definitely happening everywhere, so this is why it’s helpful to get 30-page notes on it [from the Vatican.] It’s not an easy topic to tackle.”
