Prevost emphasizes the importance of remaining “human” in a world dominated by AI and new technologies. “In the era of artificial intelligence, where human dignity risks being overshadowed by new forms of dehumanization, we have the urgent duty to remain deeply human, lovingly safeguarding that magnificent humanity bestowed upon us and fully embodied in Christ, which no machine could ever replace in its splendor,” writes the Holy Father. “The magnificent humanity created by God currently faces a crucial choice: to erect a new Tower of Babel or to build a city where God and humanity coexist. True progress always arises from a heart open to others, an intelligence willing to listen, and a will that seeks to unite rather than divide”, he adds.
The Pontiff warns against big tech: “In many cases within the digital context, the control of platforms, infrastructures, data, and computing power does not belong to the states, but to major economic and technological players who essentially set the terms of access, visibility rules, and even the very possibilities of participation. When such power concentrates in a few hands, it tends to become opaque and evade public control, increasing the risk of distorted developments that generate new dependencies, exclusions, manipulations, and inequalities. The ownership of data should not solely rest with private entities – he insists – but should be regulated. They are the fruit of many contributions and cannot be sold or entrusted to a select few. We need a creativity capable of managing them as common or collective goods, within the logic of sharing.”
In the five chapters, plus an introduction and conclusion, Pope Leo tackles contemporary issues linked to new technologies, starting from global conflicts. “There is no algorithm that can render war morally acceptable; technology does not remove the intrinsic inhumanity of conflict, it can only make it faster and more impersonal, lowering the threshold for resorting to violence and transforming defense into operational anticipation, with victims reduced to mere data. In this way, we become accustomed to the notion that violence is inevitable and merely needs optimization. Today we are witnessing a genuine paradigm shift in public discourse and rearmament choices, with a troubling rehabilitation of war as a tool of international policy, while the very ethical criteria that had limited its use are being eroded.”
At the heart of industrial and technological revolutions must always be the individual, the person: “The intertwining of automation, robotics, and AI is rapidly transforming the structure of work itself. This is said to bring great improvements for all. In reality, the ‘new ways’ of working are not necessarily better, as while AI promises to boost productivity by taking care of routine tasks, workers often find themselves forced to adapt to the pace and demands of machines, rather than the other way around.”
The role of the family remains crucial, regarded as “the primary social good. Established on the stable union between a man and a woman, it is the first environment where each person develops their potential, becomes aware of their dignity, and learns the initial forms of truth and goodness, internalizing habits that prepare them for social life.”
A passage from the encyclical refers to what Prevost calls ‘martyrs of the everyday’, “who care for, educate, accompany, and console quietly, such as parents, nurses, doctors, volunteers, and those who stay alongside the elderly or the excluded. Their testimony shows that good does not occur automatically; it requires perseverance, memory, and a conversion that enables one to start anew even after defeats.”
– Archive photo by IPA Agency –
