“Distinguishing between concepts of intelligence in AI and in human intelligence”: this is the primary objective of the Note “Antiqua et Nova” on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence, prepared by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Dicastery for Culture and Education. The document “explores the Christian understanding of human intelligence, providing a framework rooted in the Church’s philosophical and theological tradition.” It thereby offers “guidelines to ensure that the development and use of AI uphold human dignity and promote the integral development of the human person and society.” Using in the same way the term “intelligence” to refer to both human intelligence and AI could “one day eclipse the human person”, cautions the Holy See with the regard to a functionalist perspective “where people are valued based on the work they can perform.” However, “a person’s worth does not depend on possessing specific skills, cognitive and technological achievements, or individual success, but on the person’s inherent dignity, grounded in being created in the image of God.”
The critical question is “how to ensure that AI systems are ordered for the good of people and not against them”, through an “ethical use of AI systems” that “starts with those who develop, produce, manage, and oversee them.” This responsibility “is also shared by those who use them.”
The risks of war. “While AI’s analytical abilities could help nations seek peace and ensure security, the weaponization of Artificial Intelligence can also be highly problematic”, reads the text referring to the present dramatic landscape.
“No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being.”
For the Holy See, AI technology poses an “existential risk”, that grants war “an uncontrollable destructive power over great numbers of innocent civilians,” without even sparing children. “The atrocities committed throughout history are enough to raise deep concerns about the potential abuses of AI”, the text denounces: “To prevent humanity from spiraling into self-destruction, there must be a clear stand against all applications of technology that inherently threaten human life and dignity.” This committment requires “careful discernment about the use of AI, particularly in military defense applications, to ensure that it always respects human dignity and serves the common good.”
Fake news and deepfake. “AI also presents a serious risk of generating manipulated content and false information, which can easily mislead people due to its resemblance to the truth”, reads the Note, which guards against fake news and deepfake, whose consequences can be very serious. “Those who produce and share AI-generated content should always exercise diligence in verifying the truth of what they disseminate”, is the appeal to fight misinformation, calling for a regulatory approach so as not to fuel political polarisation and social discontent. Not to mention the question of privacy: “We cannot allow algorithms to limit or condition respect for human dignity, or to exclude compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and above all, the hope that people are able to change.”
No to the “technocratic paradigm.” For the Holy See,
“the concentration of the power over mainstream AI applications in the hands of a few powerful companies raises significant ethical concerns.”
“Such entities, motivated by their own interests, possess the capacity to exercise forms of control as subtle as they are invasive, creating mechanisms for the manipulation of consciences and of the democratic process.” Furthermore, there is the risk of AI being used to promote what Pope Francis has called the “technocratic paradigm”, which “perceives all the world’s problems as solvable through technological means alone.” “Rather than merely pursuing economic or technological objectives”, the proposal of the Holy See, “AI should serve “the common good of the entire human family.”
The economy and labour. “Turning over the economy and finance entirely to digital technology” is a risk that must be avoided. Contrary to the advertised benefits of AI, “current approaches to the technology can paradoxically deskill workers, subject them to automated surveillance, and relegate them to rigid and repetitive tasks.”
“AI is currently eliminating the need for some jobs that were once performed by humans.” If AI is used to replace human workers rather than complement them, there is a “substantial risk of disproportionate benefit for the few at the price of the impoverishment of many.
Additionally, as AI becomes more powerful, there is an associated risk that human labor may lose its value in the economic realm.”
No to a “medicine for the rich.” AI risks reinforcing a “medicine for the rich” model, denounces the Holy See, whose text reads:
“Those with financial means benefit from advanced preventative tools and personalized health information while others struggle to access even basic services.”
Hence “equitable frameworks are needed to ensure that the use of AI in healthcare does not worsen existing healthcare inequalities but rather serves the common good.” In the field of education, “the extensive use of AI in education could lead to the students’ increased reliance on technology, eroding their ability to perform some skills independently and worsening their dependence on screens.”