Beyond the Hype: A Catholic Perspective on Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly moved from the realm of science fiction to a pervasive force in modern life, sparking both excitement and anxiety. Touted as a potential solution to global challenges – from education to healthcare – AI is increasingly impacting individuals and institutions, including the Catholic Church.
As pressure mounts to fundamentally change the way we do everything, so does anxiety. While some are bullishly enthusiastic about AI and others find the hype nauseating, AI is affecting an ever-increasing segment of the population, including Catholics.
According to Catholic theologian Henry Karlsonthe Church has long engaged the sciences even as it has cautioned against their misapplication “in theories which do not have enough evidence or in fads which die out.” With that in mind, it’s worth taking a sober look at artificial intelligence — what it is, what it is not, what it can do, and what it cannot do.
There is no universally accepted definition of AI, but it is generally understood as the field of science and engineering focused on creating computer systems that exhibit intelligence – the ability to reason, learn, and act. As Elaine Rich and Kevin Knight articulate in their seminal work, Artificial Intelligence, it’s “the study of how to make computers do things which, at the moment, people are better at.”
The distinction between what constitutes true AI and advanced automation can be blurry. For example, Visa’s capacity to process nearly 4 million transactions per minute isn’t AI, as computers already surpass human efficiency in this task. Conversely, autonomous driving is considered AI because, currently, a human driver generally performs better than a computer. This boundary is further complicated by the fact that while processing millions of transactions isn’t AI, detecting fraud within those transactions is.
The increasing visibility of AI over the past three years has fueled debate about the future of work and the potential for job displacement.
During his first address to the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo XIV signaled the Church’s intention to address the ethical risks posed by AI to “human dignity, justice and labor.” At the heart of these discussions lies a fundamental question: what does it mean to be human?
In January 2025, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education jointly released a doctrinal note titled Ancient and New, subtitled “Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence.” This document underscores the Church’s commitment to engaging with the implications of this rapidly evolving technology.
A key characteristic of AI is its inverse relationship with human intelligence. Tasks that humans perform effortlessly often present significant challenges for computers, while complex cognitive tasks that demand substantial human intellect are frequently easily handled by machines.
Consider chess: a game requiring significant human intelligence, yet computers have consistently defeated grandmasters for nearly three decades. In contrast, an infant can instantly recognize their mother upon entering a room – a feat that remains difficult to replicate in AI. Programming computers to accurately identify objects in images and videos – a field known as “computer vision” – continues to be a complex undertaking.
Despite the rapid advancements in AI technology over the last decade, the concept itself is far from new.
The term “artificial intelligence” was first coined in 1956 at a summer research workshop at Dartmouth College, where a small group of researchers from diverse disciplines gathered to explore the possibility of creating programs that could enable computers to learn and reason.
Even today’s prominent AI applications – such as self-driving cars and chatbots like ChatGPT – have historical precedents. In the mid-1960s, Joseph Weizenbaum, a professor at MIT, developed ELIZA, a program capable of rudimentary natural language communication between humans and computers.
Weizenbaum also raised profound philosophical questions about the wisdom of attempting to create “intelligence” in machines – a question that remains remarkably relevant today. As Edsger Dijkstra famously observed during a discussion titled “Computers and Society,” questioning whether computers can think is “just as meaningful as the question whether submarines can swim.”
We are often misled by the appearance of human-like behavior in computer systems. Modern chatbots, despite leveraging large language models (LLMs), do not possess a true understanding of language. Instead, they rely on sophisticated statistical models that identify correlations between words.
An LLM generates responses by predicting the next word in a sequence, based on the preceding words, and iteratively building upon that prediction – a process akin to the autocomplete feature in email applications like Outlook. This “generative AI” creates the illusion of a natural dialogue with platforms like ChatGPT.
This deception is reinforced by the language used to describe these processes – terms like “training,” “learning,” and “understanding” – which are inherently human activities. The “deep” in “deep learning” doesn’t signify depth of understanding; rather, it’s a technical term referring to the layered structure of the neural network.
However, “artificial intelligence” remains an apt descriptor because AI is not natural intelligence; it is a simulation of it. As Joseph MacRae Mellichamp, emeritus professor of management at the University of Alabama, has stated, “the ‘artificial’ in artificial intelligence is real,” but the intelligence itself is not. (The word “artificial” originates from Latin roots meaning “skill” and “to make.”)
AI is not a magical force poised to come to life, as depicted in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Nor will it inevitably replace humanity in a dystopian nightmare. Mathematician Hannah Fry has rightly pointed out that worrying about such scenarios is akin to fretting over overpopulation on Mars.
The very definition of Homo sapiens – “wise man” – underscores the fundamental role of intelligence in what it means to be human. Created in the image and likeness of God, human beings possess inherent dignity that no scientific or technological advancement can diminish. Human intelligence encompasses consciousness and free will – qualities absent in AI systems, which are created and controlled by humans.
What AI has achieved – and it is a significant scientific accomplishment – is the simulation of isolated aspects of natural intelligence, tailored to specific tasks within defined application areas. This is known as “narrow AI,” which excels at repetitive, straightforward tasks with low failure consequences.
In contrast to narrow AI lies the elusive concept of “artificial general intelligence” (AGI) – “a single system capable of operating across all cognitive domains and performing any task within the scope of human intelligence.” Currently, AGI remains firmly in the realm of speculation.
AI represents a continuation of the technological advancements that have shaped human history, and like those before it, will likely cause short-term disruptions. The long-term impact of AI on culture and society remains uncertain. In all matters, we should turn to Holy Mother Church for eternal truth and wisdom.
As we navigate the complex issues surrounding AI, we can find solace in prayer: “Lord, the Earth is filled with the fruit of Thy works. May we cling to hope and joy as we face the unknown. Everything is Yours — do with it what You will.”
For those seeking a deeper understanding of the AI concepts discussed in this article, Perugini offers a short course titled Demystifying Artificial Intelligence from a Catholic Perspective, freely available as part of the Ave Maria University Pursuit of Wisdom short course series at thepursuitofwisdom.org.
