Archbishop Farrell issues statement regarding Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas

Archbishop Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Dublin has voiced his support of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, major teaching letter of his papacy.

The Archbishop hails from Castletown Geoghegan, and agrees with the belief that humanity should tread carefully when it comes to AI.

The letter, entitled Magnifica Humanitas (The Grandeur of Humanity) is, as its subtitle explains, aimed at safeguarding humanity at a time of artificial intelligence.

At its heart is an appeal to all people of good will to work together to ensure that AI will be developed and used in ways that promote ‘human flourishing’ and help us to build a better and more just world.

At this moment in time, the human family is facing a ‘pivotal choice’ and Pope Leo is calling on the global community in all its manifestations international organisations, governments, commercial companies, scientists and technology specialists, educators, citizens, parents and consumers to work together to ensure that those who are driving the development of the technology are truly open about what they are doing and are subject to oversight and accountability.

Pope Leo observes that “most people are watching and waiting, observing from afar and merely hoping for the best.”

He insists that crucial questions cannot be avoided: “Where are we going? Toward what goal do we wish to orient ourselves? What direction should we choose as people and as a human community?” (Par 6).

The Pope is inviting us to think about the values, traditions, social customs and practices that help the human community to flourish.

Human flourishing requires us to be attentive to the factors that promote the well-being of individuals, that protect and support the human communities where people live and grow together, that remind us to have an inclusive understanding of the human family where the dignity of the most vulnerable is defended and valued and where we live in peace with one another.

In recent years, we are also increasingly aware that human flourishing will not be sustainable if we do not live in harmony with our natural ecological environment.

This reflection becomes even more urgent in the context of AI which it is acknowledged is set to be highly disruptive of our existing political, economic, labour and social dynamics.

In terms of the impact on individuals, Pope Leo highlights the risk that overreliance on AI will weaken and impair our capacity for critical reflection, will blind us to many of the biases and interests embodied in data sets that condition the outcomes of Generative AI platforms, and that the seemingly human voice and sensitivity of many chatbots will undermine our capacity or appetite for true human friendships and relationships.

“They may imitate language, behaviour 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.” (Par, 99).

The human community is suffering a crisis of trust where the mixture of false news and deep fakes is worsening existing patterns of polarisation and undermining the capacity of people to communicate and build good relationships.

In a context where AI is already worsening these possibilities, the Holy Father encourages all people to renew their commitment “to transparency in communication and the honest pursuit of facts.”

He invites parents, educators and the broader community to be especially vigilant in caring for the young.

“Today, accompanying children and young people in using technology for developing responsible relationships, helping them to recognize the risks and choose what fosters inner freedom, is a concrete form of charity and will safeguard their dignity.” (Par 238).

In a world where inequality is already embedded in ‘structures of sin’ unfair economic and political systems which perpetuate poverty and exclusion, the Pope invites us to be alert to the capacity of AI to exacerbate these injustices.

The uneven distribution of the wealth generated by technology and the threat it poses to the employment of many workers must be acknowledged.

“To think that new technologies will automatically benefit everyone is to ignore the evidence.

Unless transformations at the design stage prioritize the prevention of new and further disparities, technological progress will inevitably produce structural inequalities.

Today, justice requires access to the benefits of innovation, including care, knowledge, tools and opportunities.” (Par, 161).

The Pope encourages politicians and economists to be particularly attentive to prepare for a relatively immediate future where many workers across all sectors risk being replaced by machines with huge impacts for their well-being and that of families.

This is not just a matter of the economic consequences “since work is not merely a source of income but a crucial sphere in which identity is formed, friendships and relationships are forged, practical responsibilities are learned and one’s vocation is discerned.” (Par, 167).

Attention to social sustainability cannot be disassociated from vigilance for our natural environment, the letter specifies the high energy requirements of the technological infrastructure and the environmental and social costs of the materials that it consumes and stresses that “it is essential to develop more sustainable technological solutions that reduce environmental impact and help protect our common home.” (Par, 101).

The final chapter of the Encyclical focusses on questions relating war and peace and challenges the human community to build a civilization of love.

The capacity of AI to increase the lethality of the weapons of war and to dictate ever more instant decision making (at times automating the process) is noted with concern and he calls for international regulation of its use in the military arena.

At the same time the Pope insists that the pursuit of peace is fundamentally a human task and invites us to a process of disarmament starting with words: “Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the world.” (Par, 214).

He extends the concept of disarmament to frame his vision for a future where technology can help us to build a better world: “I would like to employ the expression ‘to disarm,’ which is close to my heart.

Disarming AI means freeing it from the mentality of ‘armed,’ competition, which today is not limited simply to the military context, but is also an economic and cognitive phenomenon.

This entails a race for ever more powerful algorithms and larger datasets, driven by the desire to secure geopolitical or commercial dominance.

To disarm means discrediting the assumption that technical power automatically confers the right to govern.

To disarm does not mean rejecting technology but preventing it from dominating humanity.

It means freeing technology from monopolistic control and opening it to discussion and debate, therefore making it human-friendly and restoring it to the plurality of human cultures and ways of life.

Our task today is not only ethical or technical. It is ecological in the deepest sense, for it concerns a new dimension of our common home.

AI is already an environment in which we are immersed, as well as a force with which we must engage.

For this reason, merely regulating it is insufficient; it must be disarmed, welcoming and accessible.” (Par, 110).

Pope Leo, in calling on the human family to come together to ensure that technology realises its undoubted potential to support integral human flourishing, is also celebrating the grandeur of humanity and the capacity of human beings to overcome our weaknesses, limitations, self-centeredness and divisions to build together in a truly collaborative way a more just society the call is for each to contribute according to his or her expertise, capacity, influence and wisdom.

It is a future that will only be built by patient human dialogue and cooperation.

“It is this intertwining of just institutions, credible witnesses and daily fidelity that sustains hope and provides clear direction for technological progress without allowing the heart to regress.

For this reason, humanity - in all its grandeur and woundedness must never be replaced or surpassed.” (Par, 126).

Salvation will not come from technology or from those who wish to ‘perfect’ humanity (often by eliminating human weakness or vulnerability) but by a renewed commitment to respecting the intrinsic dignity and rights of every person – a commitment elevated and empowered by the inexhaustible grace of God and God’s unconditional love for each and every human person.

To hear the Holy Father’s own voice, I encourage everyone to read this Encyclical which is a considered account of the existential challenges and great opportunities the AI technology revolution poses.

We cannot, however, allow ourselves to be reduced to objective mathematical formulae or algorithms.

The grandeur of our humanity is grounded in the image and likeness of God, which is far more than the sum total of data, statistical information and predictability.

The Archbishops statement is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbDwk4mhAgE