June Pastor Column
My dear Kirkland Catholics,
I promised to more thoroughly address the Holy Father’s encyclical letter on artificial intelligence, Magnifica Humanitas, and I
am holding to my intention, though I have come to realize that even a passing summary would be a work much larger than a bulletin column. I am going to quote at length, then, paragraph 99 which seems could be argued to be the central thesis of the work. Pope Leo says:
“It is not possible to provide a single, comprehensive definition of AI. What can be stated, however, is that we must avoid the
misconception of equating this type of “intelligence” with that of human beings. These systems merely imitate certain functions of human intelligence. In doing so, they often surpass human intelligence in speed and computational
capacity, offering tangible benefits across many fields. Yet this power remains entirely tied to data processing. So-called artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean. Nor do they have a moral conscience, since they do not judge good and evil, grasp the ultimate meaning of situations, or bear responsibility for consequences. They may imitate language, behavior and analytical skills, or even simulate empathy and understanding, but they do not understand what they produce, for they lack the affective, relational and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow in wisdom. Even when these tools are described as capable of ‘learning,’ their way of doing so is
different from that of a human person. It is not the experience of those who allow themselves to be shaped by life and grow over time through choices, mistakes, forgiveness and fidelity. Rather, it is a form of statistical adaptation based on data and feedback, which can be very effective, but does not imply inner growth.”
The key to this passage is the concept of relationship and the attending concept of communion. The Holy Father sees AI as a threat to true human relationship and communion. He says in paragraph 112: “When efficiency becomes the ultimate measure of value, human beings are tempted to see themselves as a project to be optimized rather than as persons called to
relationship and communion.”
I think that is where I will challenge each of us today as having practical application in our spiritual life. Our worth is not found in our productivity, for the most effective people in this world are the Saints – and many of today’s living saints are unknown to the world and living in monasteries and convents with almost no “worldly productivity.” Let us calibrate our human success rather in the growth of faith, hope and love; which all of us can equally strive to do regardless of our “state in life,” abilities and talents. In this month of the Sacred Heart let us take to our own hearts that – at the end of the day – we are the measure of the Lord’s love for us.
With love in Christ,
Fr. Brad