Ever since his ascension to the Pontificate, Pope Leo has indelibly left a mark on the Chair of Saint Peter, following closely in the footsteps of his predecessor, Francis. One of the highly anticipated statements of Pope Leo was his first encyclical as the Pope. Encyclicals are documents written by the pope to clarify an existing church teaching, while bringing the church in conversation with the world. His first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, explores the relationship between Catholic Social Doctrine and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence.
Leo, following his name's predecessor Leo XIII, embarks on an ambitious journey of bringing the Catholic Church into deeper and more robust conversation with the rise of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has sparked an arms race among the world's political and technological powers, which serves as the perfect backdrop for Leo's inaugural encyclical. For Leo, there are two distinct options: building the Tower of Babel or building the New Jerusalem.
Magnifica Humanitas does not presume technology to serve as impartial actor because imperfect humans generate the technology. Emerging technologies ought to consider the moral and societal implications, especially when concerning the advancement of human dignity. The emphasis on human dignity, reinforced by a robust theology, encourages Christians to navigate the challenges of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
Leo addresses four key points at the beginning of his encyclical, as Christians strive towards the common good of all. First, building towards the New Jerusalem "implies building on a firm relationship with God." Second, humanity has limitations that do not need to be exploited or corrected with emerging technologies. Third, the communities of faith require a world that not only privileges a certain few, but rather benefits all of humanity. Lastly, the push towards a New Jerusalem "establish[es] standards for discernment — the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home and peace — and let us translate these standards into practices."[1]
While the encyclical contains several juicy nuggets of Catholic Social Doctrine, which Leo traces its history from Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum[2] to his encyclical, he reaffirms the dignity of humanity, especially against the backdrop of a rapidly expansive and changing world. Leo rightly points out the importance of the church participating in the shared discernment with the world. The dialogue between the different actors encourages a deeper listening towards the more helpful ways of creating "good processes and enabling them to mature."[3]
Pope Leo stresses the importance of not only human dignity, rather, he expands human dignity within the vein of "an integral human development," which is described as the growth of individuals and peoples that encompasses all dimensions of existence and opens
the future to subsequent generations as well.[4] For Leo, integral human development becomes the barometer of how best to address the digital revolution.
The digital revolution brings us to the next question he raises: What are the roles of the construction sites? Are these construction sites, Tower of Babel or New Jerusalem, serving the common good or self-interest? More importantly, in what ways do these emerging technologies affect human consciences, which he explores in Chapter three.
Most notably, Leo spends some time addressing transhumanism and post-humanism, concepts that are best understood, using his words, as "human-machine hybrid."[5] In essence, what does it mean to be human? Catholic Social Doctrine begins first and foremost that we are created in the Image of God, Imago Dei, and that we are created for relationship with God and one another. Do we alter that image by incorporating technology into our bodies?
Leo implies that seeking to go beyond our limitations inhibits who we are as humans, and that in fact, we thrive because of our limitations. First, he outlines what transhumanism and posthumanism means. Transhumanism, in its basic form, "envisions the enhancement of human beings through technologies…with the aim of increasing human performance and capabilities. Post-humanism, especially in its more radical forms, goes further: it challenges anthropocentrism and envisions a hybridization of human beings, machines, and the environment, even anticipating a threshold where humanity surpasses itself into a new evolutionary stage.[6]
By going in this direction, are humans willing to push beyond the bounds of their finitude to stay alive forever? Leo pushes back against this narrative by acknowledging how our limitations are not a complete curse; instead, our limitations "are a reality through which our humanity matures and opens itself to relationship."[7]
He then ties this back to the two images from the beginning: Tower of Babel or New Jerusalem. We, as humans, strive to push the bounds of our limitations to become "more than human," yet we the push beyond also comes from God through the Holy Spirit.[8] Artificial intelligence is merely a tool for how we engage in the world God created. By using this tool responsibly, we, as the church, encourage ourselves and others to reflect critically in its use, as we also consider the impact AI has on other humans.
As Leo notes in his conclusion, there is a longing for humans to be more than they already are, which is why some turn to the emerging technologies to challenge their existing limitations. However, that runs against who we are called to be as image-bearers of God. He continues by calling all Christians to reflect on who we are called to be and bask in the grandeur of humanity. This grandeur is made realized through the person of Jesus Christ, who came into the world and bring the world back to Him.
For Leo, and the church, we are called to reflect diligently and carefully on the role technology continues to play within our society, especially as the digital revolution continuously spins. Instead of the Tower of Babel, let us build towards the New Jerusalem.
[1] Pope Leo XIV. On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. Magnifica Humanitas. Sections 11-14.
[2] Sections 29-45.
[3] Section 25.
[4] Section 82.
[5] Sections 115-117.
[6] Section 116.
[7] Section 118.
[8] Section 127.
