Delving into the relationship between AI and humanity
By Josh Low
Exploring the realms of artificial intelligence, its uses, ethical issues, and how it cannot replace authentic human interaction was behind a recent talk by Fr John Joseph Martin LEB.
Titled “The Essential Difference of Human Beings and Artificial Intelligence”, the talk was held last month as part of a series run by the Office of Life, Marriage and Family.
In his presentation, Fr John Joseph outlined the basics of artificial intelligence (AI) and broke open the benefits and problems this domain of technology offers, many of which he explained are misleading and can even be dangerous from a Christian standpoint.
“The pressing issue is how we choose to engage and think about this technology,” he said.
“The Vatican has not been silent concerning artificial intelligence. They’ve spoken on this technology and its great capacity to be used for the common good [as well as] its great dangers, especially ethical issues.”
These ethical issues, Fr John Joseph explained, extend from its initial programming, which could reflect the creator’s bias, or fail to have proper safeguards around its implementation and use.
“We see this through people forming relationships already with AI and chat bots, girlfriend bots etc. and the consequences of the use of this technology, such as taking a lot of people’s work away.
“The pastoral concern of the Church is really targeted at this existential problem or crisis which AI poses to a modern humanity already swept up in an identity crisis.
“AI comes on the scene and easily disturbs our sense of value and importance.”
Fr John Joseph explained AI is ultimately a tool, a product of human hands.
“AI is not a personal being and by its very nature, but inanimate matter that can just simulate personal being.
“AI is ontologically distinct from a human being. You can create AI, it could be as best as possible, but it’s not going to change the fact that a human being is human being,” he said.
As technology develops, Fr John Joseph said we have a right and a duty to use this technology to serve the common good of man.
He did caution however, that trying to aim for a utopian society, escapism, or a disordered reliance on AI, could detract from the interior life, offering an example of using AI to write homilies as a priest.
“We need to recognise the temptation to build our lives on AI; the temptation to outsource our responsibility to learn, know, and create.
“It will be a temptation for students, and in a particular way maybe even for priests when it comes to their homilies.
“AI can, for all intents and purposes, actually write a good homily. But in this case, writing a homily is a sacred task.
“So to outsource that to this machine to write it out for you completely, I think that’d be an act of soft sacrilege,” he said.
As Catholics, we have all we need in Jesus Christ, public revelation, scripture, and tradition, Fr John Joseph said.
“We need only keep our heads on and apply these and the principles of teaching to this new technology.
“The main concern of the Church… is the preservation of the truth about the value and significance of human beings over and above artificial intelligence, which is fundamentally no more than a tool for human benefit.
“No matter the secular hype surrounding AI and the dazzling display of its power, may we hold fast to the simple reality and truth that God is God, He and no other, says the Psalm,” he said.