Facing a ‘Pivotal Choice’

Randall Smith of The Catholic Thing noted that a priest recently addressed the challenges of artificial intelligence during Mass, describing the technology as a pivotal choice for humanity.

Smith observed that while some claim society has entered a new age where everything has changed, these views are often influenced by specific interpretations of the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution on the Modern World, Gaudium et spes. He noted that Gaudium et spes 4 describes the human race as being in a new stage of history due to rapid global changes.

However, Smith pointed out that the Council fathers also warned that such transformations bring serious difficulties. The document notes that as humans extend their power, they do not always use it for their own welfare. The Council fathers identified several problems resulting from these changes, including starvation, lack of education, the threat of atomic weapons, and increased atheism.