Science and Technology

Travis Callaway, like many with such interests, eagerly awaits an expected encyclical from Pope Leo XIV on artificial intelligence.

“The danger isn’t that AI will suddenly wake up, it’s that we’ll forget that it hasn’t.”

Calgary Bishop William McGrattan said the Church cannot ignore the profound implications of the rapidly advancing technological revolution that is artificial intelligence.

St. Mary’s University and the Diocese of Calgary are joining forces to advance the conversation about Catholic ethical and moral leadership on artificial intelligence with an Oct. 17 and 18 symposium titled “AI Is Transforming Society: Are Catholics Ready?”

One of the first things Fr. Philip Larrey learned at the start of a 20-year run teaching philosophy, logic and epistemology at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome is that “you never tell a bishop what to do.”

Matthew Harvey Sanders, the creator of the most popular Catholic artificial intelligence platform, Magisterium AI, tantalizes the “golden age” possibilities and portends the potential hazards of the society-disrupting technology.

Pope Leo XIV urged global leaders and experts to establish a network for the governance of AI and to seek ethical clarity regarding its use.

Dr. Steven Umbrello suggested that 80 years of popular science fiction have effectively convinced many that technology is deterministic: scientists create an intelligent design, and that creation becomes sentient and inevitably turns on humanity.

The tech world isn’t known for its moral character. Its pursuit of efficiency and technological progress rarely demonstrates a deeper appreciation of spiritual or moral considerations.

While the possible benefits of AI may outnumber its feared risks, a group of experts meeting in Rome insisted global legislation and ethical principles must be developed and applied now to protect human rights and curb or prevent possible harm.