Pope Leo’s “Magnificent Humanity” Caution in the Age of AI

In a time when it may be far easier to see evidence of humanity’s inhumanity and failures, the very title of Pope Leo’s encyclical is a lightning strike for a defiant humanism.

“Magnifica Humanitas,” meaning “Magnificent Humanity” speaks an important truth often forgotten in these cynical times: human beings are amazing creatures who possess an inherent worth and dignity. Our achievements, whether in art or engineering, political thought or medicine are incredible. Our capacity for courage and compassion, for the creation of beauty and for love, is astounding.

A good word for humanity! Yay! God knows we need it!

The Bible’s Eighth Psalm makes the point lyrically, in its awed address of the Almighty:

“When I look at the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than angels, and crowned them with glory and honor.” (Ps. 8: 3 – 5)

In a word, “magnificent!”

In “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” Pope Leo reminds us that:

1. that AI is a human creation, a tool created by human beings, and
2. as with any technology the question is what, and whose, purposes will it serve? Basics easily forgotten in the mix of utopian claims and dystopian warnings.

Amid all the hype and fever dreams, you get the impression — which may be the intent of some — that AI has a life of its own and that asking questions or standing in its way is no more possible than standing up to a tsunami. It is this kind of technological triumphalism (or apocalypticism) that Pope Leo challenges in the name of human dignity and agency. “We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed on us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace.”

In striking such notes, Pope Leo builds on the teaching of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Author Stephen Millies comments: “Pope Francis condemned what he called ‘the technocratic paradigm that seeks to reduce everything to an object to be dominated.’ In other words, “de-humanization.”

“Pope Leo,” Millies continues, “agrees. What dehumanizes us ultimately results from a misguided relationship to technology and economics — a ‘tendency to let the logic of efficiency, control and profit alone shape personal, social and economic life.’ Technology and economics themselves are not bad things so long as we remember that they are at the service of all people, not the few. Leo is clear that we ought ‘neither to demonize nor idolize’ the tools of technology or economics, but see them for what they must be — instruments of the common good for all.”

Thank God for some leader saying such things.

That the threat that AI will be used by the few and ultra-wealthy to dominate the many in ways that are dehumanizing is real. That perceived threat may explain why so many of the recent graduation speakers who, when heralding AI, found themselves met with groans and boos from the graduates.

Given the autocratic turn of contemporary politics and the immense and uncontrolled power of tech giants, people fear that AI will become, not an enhancement of human life, but a tool of surveillance, control and domination of the many by the few. Pope Leo is speaking squarely to those fears and to those who, in the words of Kim Daniels of Georgetown University ask, “Who is AI for, and who is it leaving behind?’

A couple of quick take-aways/ observations based on my reading of excerpts from “Magnifica Humanitas” and articles about it.

1. For those unfamiliar with the term and function of an “encyclical” in the Catholic tradition, it is primarily a teaching document. It is to be used throughout the church as it wrestles with these issues. It is available, as well, to those of other faiths or no religious faith who may be interested. The idea is to formulate the issues and articulate core ethical and spiritual principles that need to be considered when encountering such a social and technological challenge. In other words, an encyclical isn’t the Pope telling people what to think, but a document intended to help people think. It frames the issues. To my (Protestant) mind this is great service to all of us at this juncture.
2. A sense of history was at work as Leo signed his encyclical on the 135th anniversary of another important encyclical from another Pope Leo. In 1892 Pope Leo XIII tackled the challenges of the Industrial Revolution in “Rerum Novarum.” Leo’s nod to history is a caution against a present-mindedness that regards the past as irrelevant and the present moment as one without parallel. History provides context and perspective. This isn’t our first rodeo.
3. “Magnifica Humanitas” focuses on the dignity of work. As many today find themselves feeling like cogs in a faceless machine (see the TV show “Severance”), Leo writes, “The various kinds of job insecurity, fragmented career paths and automation must not be evaluated solely in terms of efficiency, but in relation to the dignity of the worker, the right to sufficient remuneration and the genuine possibility of participating in society.”
4. Also on Leo’s mind here, notes Daniels, is “care for the vulnerable. How our society treats those in need is the true measure of our commitment to the common good. How AI systems are built will either advance human dignity and the common good or leave the most vulnerable further behind, and we are making such choices now.”
5. Noteworthy was the presence of Anthropic’s co-founder, Christopher Olah. While Pope Leo may have been delivering a message to some giants of tech who share an enthusiasm for “trans humanism,” with its focus on “a post-human future,” Leo and his church are in dialogue with tech leaders who also recognize the urgency of ethical questions.

Beneath and beyond so many of the daily news items, Magnifica Humanitas gets at the core issue. Will life for our children and grandchildren be more humane or less? Will the world of the future invite human flourishing or diminish it?

“Humanity — in all its grandeur and woundedness — must never be replaced or surpassed,” writes Leo. “We can embrace the technological progress that alleviates suffering and unlocks new possibilities, provided that we do not abandon the very essence of our humanity, namely the capacity for relationship and love.”

In this often discouraging time in our country and world, “Magnifica Humanitas” is a word of hope. To be reminded of our human dignity and beauty, capacity and responsibility is a much needed balm and tonic. Thank you Pope Leo!