What the Catholic Church can teach Silicon Valley about AI

Pope Leo XIV has issued his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, calling for a global response to artificial intelligence to ensure technology reflects human participation in divine creation.

In the document, the pope directs three specific groups to take action. He tells technology creators to ensure their work serves human flourishing instead of just efficiency. He calls on lawmakers and international organizations to create binding legal frameworks that prioritize human rights and the common good over market growth. Finally, he urges individuals and communities to reject digital metrics and a technocratic mindset in favor of empathy, mercy, and personal encounters.

Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, S.J., and Brian Patrick Green, ethical and religious leaders at Santa Clara University, suggest that universities act as partners in this effort. They propose using synodality, a consultative method used by his predecessor Pope Francis, to help navigate these complex issues through mediation and industry input.