Magnifica Humanitas – Chapter 4

This is the fifth article in a series on Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas   

• The first article was a general commentary on the encyclical.   
• The second article discussed the introduction and chapter one in more detail. 
• The third article discussed chapter 2, “Foundations and Principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church.”   
• The fourth article discussed chapter 3, “Technology and Dominance:  The Grandeur of Humanity in Light of the Promises of AI.”   
• This article covers chapter 4, “Safeguarding Humanity at a Time of Transformation, Truth, Work, Freedom. 

Having covered the specifics of artificial intelligence (AI) itself in chapter 3, in chapter four of Magnifica Humanitas,, Pope Leo XIV turns to the concerns we should have for the impact of AI on truth, work, and freedom.  AI has its proper place as a tool for us but in deciding if and how to use AI, we need to recognize how it impacts our social relationships (Pope Leo, 131).   

Pope Leo writes, “Tools that could foster dialogue and participation are often used to construct distorted narratives and blur the boundaries between truth and falsehood, mixing facts with opinions.  Disinformation did not begin with AI, yet today it finds a powerful amplifier in AI.  The ability to manipulate content, images and videos exposes people to biased or misleading perspectives.  This problem has both culture and moral dimensions, since the quality of public communication depends on social trust and, in turn, shapes it” (132). 

On the internet, anyone can post anything.  On the internet, anyone can present themselves as an expert.  A well-intending person can post something they think to be true only to discover lately it is not correct.  Add AI’s ability to manipulate information, images, and videos, it is becoming easy to intentionally present false information as true.  This means that we cannot count on what we find in the digital world being true.   

The first step against this is to verify what you read but there is so much information out there, how does one verify anything?  When we add in relativism, Pope Leo describes a new sickness, “the fact that “modern man is wrongly convinced that he is the sole author of himself, his life, and society…Consequently, people believe that they can construct reality, and that whatever best suits their claims corresponds to what is true” (133).  Pope St. John Paul II referred to this as a “crisis of truth.”  When we try to present the universal truth of Jesus Christ, people may simply respond by saying it is what we believe but they believe something different and are not open to dialogue.  

Such people are indifferent to the truth.  Unfortunately, as Pope Leo writes, “indifference to the truth leads, slowly but surely, to a descent into totalitarianism” (134).  If one has lost the distinction between fact and fiction, one struggles to make a point in their favor (Pope Leo, 134).  Thus, whoever is in leadership positions, decides on their own without regard to a unverisal truth what to do. 

True or not, the information that circulates in the digital world influences how people see the world (Pope Leo, 135).  The truth is a common good that society needs to function.  For example, two plus two must always equal four or we cannot communicate what is real. 

Pope Leo then turns to the topic of how much information is out there.  There is so much digital information available that it leads to “hyper-stimulation, which gives rise to fatigue, boredom and apathy concerning the effort required for seeking the truth” (139).  We must learn how to focus on using AI where it is helpful and “for what purpose it out not to be used” (Pope Leo, 140).   

In the context of hyper-stimulation, Pope Leo turns to psychological and psychiatric studies on the negative effects of digital devices and social media on sleep, attention spans, emotions, and relationships (Pope Leo, 141).  He calls for education that helps people “to recognize manipulation, defend their dignity, and respect that of others in digital environments” (142).  There comes a time when the best thing we can do for our minds and souls is to turn off our digital devices. 

From this, Pope Leo then turns to a discussion of schools as a place “where new generations can learn to seek and love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life and to recognize the dignity of every person” (143).  Society has always needed “schools” to do this.  AI and the digital world  increase this need.   

Mixed in someplace with the loss of the importance of truth is a loss of parents’ rights to choose their child’s education (see Pope Leo, 143).  Schools are trying to decide what children should learn without regard to the parents’ rights and responsibilities.  Thankfully, the U.S. Supreme Court is beginning to say no to this.  We do not need schools that merely follow the latest trends on social media.  We need to support education that respects truth and the notion of a person, their dignity and their rights (Pope Leo, 145-146). 

Turning from truth to work, I hear in the news that some people think that AI will soon make work obsolete and they see this as a good thing.   It is not.  Pope Leo now turns in Magnifica Humanitas to a discussion of the value of work.  Work is a good thing.  As Pope Leo writes, work gives us a place to “put to good use the capabilities we have received, improve and beautify the world, support our families, engage in cooperative relationships and, through listening and dialgoue, learn to build together something that no one could achieve alone” (148).  Work actually “enhances the dignity of our lives: because it gives us purpose and fulfillment (Pope Leo, 149).  Without work, what purpose do we have? 

AI can boost productivity but it can also leave those whose jobs go away in the dark, eroding “workers’ sense of agency” and stifling their “innovative abilities” (Pope Leo, 150).  With this in mind, Pope St. John Paul II recognized unemployment as a grave evil (Pope Leo, 151).  Companies may implement AI for profit.  As Christians, our greatest concern needs to be for human dignity and with the common good in mind (Pope Leo, 152).  Work provides a wage and it provides a way for each worker to contribute to society and make a difference in the world (Pope Loe, 154).  We need to be proactive in supporting those whose work is affected by AI (Pope Leo, 156).  Instead of allowing AI to proceed without concern, we need to stop and consider everything that Pope Leo has put before us before allowing further development of AI.  We need to ask if AI is worth it and, if it is, how do we minimize the negative effects. 

Pope Leo next turns to the importance of family as a “primary social good” for the family is “the first environment in which all persons develop their potential, become aware of their dignity and learn the earliest forms of truth and goodness, internalizing the habits that prepare them for life in society” (165).  This is what makes families so important.  We need strong families.  In conjunction with this, Pope Leo writes, “As the Bishops of the United States of America have recalled, work is not merely a source of income but a crucial sphere in which identity is formed, friendships and relationships are forged, practical responsibilities are learned and one’s vocation is discerned” (167).  Workers are not merely means to produce a product.  Workers stand as part of the essence of who we are.  From this, Pope Leo speaks of the State’s duty to support employment and the dignity of work as “a primary good for families and for society” (168).   

Lastly in chapter four, Pope Leo turns to a discussion of AI’s impact on freedom.  We must ask ourselves how the digital world uses AI to manipulate us, leading us down a path that we would have no interest in pursuing on our own.  It tracks our “movements, purchases, relationships, and preferences” (171).  In essence, it can use our private information to manipulate us, using our own information as a power to get what the AI developer wants.  They claim to do it as a means to make our time shopping or researching on the internet more productive, all the while leading us where they want us to go. 

We must also consider the energy requirements for AI along with its need for rare earth elements and how it has led in some places to dangerous work conditions that remind us of slavery for the workers who produce this (Pope Leo, 173).   

In my next article in this series, we will take a look at the truth and understanding that Pope Leo offers in chapter five. 

Peace, 

Fr. Jeff