I write this on Monday morning, which is the day after the Feast of Pentecost for Christians and happens to be also the day of the release of Pope Leo’s much-awaited encyclical on AI.
The document boasts a very uplifting title, Magnifica humanitas, Magnificent Humanity. (It almost sounds like “Original Blessing” to me.) Its subtitle is, appropriately, caveat-like: “On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.”
On the one hand, we are a “magnificent” species; on the other hand, we are a danger to ourselves and others and need to safeguard ourselves from our inventions.
Webster’s dictionary defines “magnificent” this way: “great in deed; strikingly beautiful or impressive; sumptuous in structure and adornment; sublime; exceptionally fine; grand.” Yes, we are all those things. Sometimes.
We are also dangerous, possessive, warlike, greedy, power hungry, domineering, frequently wrong, ignorant and full of shadow and evil and so much more. We are Christ and antichrist, one might say.
The timing of this encyclical arriving at Pentecost season is, I think, significant. For, in critiquing AI, a rising force in human evolution, Pope Leo is appealing to all humanity to acknowledge once again the human condition: We are an amazing species that has, in 300,000 years, taken over the planet for good or for evil, and our immense intelligence and technological achievements can be very much a two-edged sword. They can support life, the Earth, and the future of our species on the one hand; or they can destroy so much, including ourselves.
The “common good” is everything. Will the amazing capacity of AI be used for the common good or the common demise? So much depends on the decisions we make currently, as AI is expanding its wings in awesome (and potentially awful) ways.
Pentecost in the Jewish tradition was a celebration of the harvest and first fruits, a joyful commemoration of what good work of the land brings forth for all, that the community may eat. It was a week of celebration, dancing, joy, and eating! A Feast Day, one might say, dedicated to honoring the sacredness of work aimed at the common good.
For Christians, Pentecost is that, but it is also the fulfillment or a prophetic promise from the prophet Joel that I will pour out my spirit on all mankind. Their sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. Even on my slaves, men and women, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. (Acts, 2:17-18)
In this encyclical, Pope Leo is announcing a prophetic promise for the sake of the common good. We see again why he named himself after Pope Leo XII, who addressed the industrial revolution of his time. In his encyclical, Rerum Novarum, he insisted on the importance of protecting workers by way of unions and more to implement social justice as a norm and pathway to the common good. Pope Leo is applying a parallel formula to the AI revolution of our day.
But as one commentator has pointed out, this call to critique AI is not set in just an ethical context but an anthropological one (thus the title). Who, what is humanity, and what are the implications of our inventions and decisions? How do we steer and guide AI to save humankind and the Earth as we know it?
Pope Leo insists on the “irreplaceable role of the individual” and warns that governments must protect employment opportunities over “the pursuit of greater profits.” That “the human person is an end, not a means and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good.” There is much more to discuss about this encyclical, which we will do in later DMs.
Banner Image: Part of Amazon Web Services’ US-West-2 availability zone, showing three data centers with a fourth under construction. Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you see a connection between Pentecost and the release of the encyclical on AI? Do you recognize both the magnificence of humanity and its immense capacity for evil? How do you envision steering AI so it serves the common good?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society
5 thoughts on “Pentecost Season & Pope Leo’s Encyclical on AI”
“The ‘common good’ is everything.” I think this is a key sentence and a sentiment that has been lost both in appreciation and understanding. I’m not sure if this pertains to Pentecost but, for sure, humanity could do with the descent of the Holy Spirit to awaken us to our common inheritance and the Divine joy of being. Such a scenario is perhaps more of a possibility than we might imagine.
The connection between Pentecost and the release of Magnifica humanitas is clear, Pentecost being the celebration of genuine intelligence (awakening, enlightenment) and AI being the embodiment of a confusion between intelligence and amoral automated data storage/retrieval/processing.
I read Magnifica humanitas yesterday and I was rather disappointed by what I perceived as a coating of traditional moral statements over general considerations on AI. I missed the vibrant voice of the author of Laudato Si and its forceful description of the central issue of our time: excessive anthropocentrism and environmental issues. In comparison, Magnifica humanitas seems extremely anthropocentric.
The construction of the Babel Tower and the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem are powerful metaphors, but AI is being developed more as a bulldozer in the hands of manipulators than as a construction device. Yes, the bulldozer should be disarmed, but answering the cry of Mother Earth remains the most pressing issue and AI should be addressed in that context.
The abundant quotes associating Pope John Paul II and social justice made me cringe as I remember vividly the picture of his scolding liberation theologian Ernesto Cardenal and his silencing more than 100 progressive theologians, among whom Matthew Fox.
To sum up, I look forward to more engaging future encyclical letters from Pope Leo and I miss the prophetic voice of the author of Laudato Si.
This seems to be a very contemplative and spiritual response by Daniel that resonates with me. Maybe we need to be reminded in more depth about the spiritual message of Laudato Si.
Thanks Daniel.
Daniel, your observations are very thoughtful, I agree. I am very worried about data center’s obscene water use. Between climate change and AI, dangerous and destructive situations are developing for all life and all creatures.