Faith and Artificial Intelligence

Discerning technology’s dangers and limitations

By Deacon Thomas Middleton

Pope Saint John Paul II Catholic Parish

For the ICR

A couple of months ago, my son-in-law, who is a Ph.D. research psychologist and serves on staff at an Idaho medical institution, introduced me to Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.

He is passionate about the benefits of AI and its ability to synthesize large volumes of data from innumerable sources in an instantaneous manner. The utility of this relatively new technology in the medical community is self-evident, and doctors are finding it to be a valuable tool in the practice of medicine.

I started using a couple of different AI apps, just to familiarize myself with the technology. It is an amazing tool, and most of the information presented is reliable, including answers to complex Catholic theological questions. For example, as a test, I asked ChatGPT to write a “four-hundred-word Catholic homily in the Augustinian tradition regarding the relationship between faith and reason.” In just a few seconds, it provided a beautifully worded homily that was completely Catholic and Augustinian, including quotes from the saint, and succinct conclusions pertinent to the circumstances of our time. I have no doubt that if I had given the AI homily at Mass, it would have been regarded as one of my best! It is a telling example of the wonder but also the danger of this incredible technology.

Not human, not God

The problem with my AI homily was that God was not in the loop. A homily is not just a speech or talk. It is a sacramental act of preaching and must be rooted in a lived faith. I did not pray about the AI homily. I did not meditate on the Word. I did not study Church teaching or the saints. The AI homily did not come from a heart and mind inspired by the Holy Spirit. God’s wisdom was not sought. Love for Christ and his Church was not part of the homiletic chemistry. Apart from the formation of the original question, it was a completely electronic, i.e., not human, product.

As a preacher, I am faced with an ethical decision. Do I preach the AI produced homily because of its excellence, or do I write my own homily; a homily inspired by the Holy Spirit, imperfect, but flowing from God’s love and grace? The fact that AI is so readily accessible and able to produce instant results, makes the temptation to let it do the hard spiritual work for me, and every other preacher, a serious everyday decision.

The question I must ask myself, and the Church must ask itself, is “What will we become if we allow AI to do our spiritual work for us?” The level of preaching might increase in a dramatic fashion, but it might also damage our communion with God and His Spirit. It becomes a question of choosing the good, choosing Christ, doing the right thing, over expedience.

I was talking to my 13-year-old granddaughter the other day. At her school, they are provided with electronic devices, i.e., “tablets,” to allow them to do schoolwork, including AI and other internet use. The system administrator controls internet access and blocks any sites or programs the school deems inappropriate, and rightfully so. The problem is that the students spend almost every waking moment discovering ways around the system admin blockers. Just like many young people, they have become very good at manipulating technology. A continuous game of cat and mouse exists where the school installs blockers and the students find ways to defeat them.

(Image created using ChatGPT)

The good and the bad

The electronic battle occurring in my granddaughter’s school is not unique, and many other institutions, from government to industry, spend an extraordinary amount of time and money trying to stay one step ahead of ever-advancing technology. It makes a very real point about its nature. Electronic technology is elusive, constantly evolving and cannot be barricaded from our lives. It must not be ignored. AI is already ubiquitous and has a plethora of legitimate uses. Its growth will continue at an overwhelming rate. In a short period of time, AI will be part of everything. It is already woven into the fabric of human decision-making.

Google Maps, Siri, Alexa, smartphone cameras and chatbots are AI tools on which we have all come to rely. Platforms like Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram and You Tube all use AI to organize your feed and recommend content. Uber and Lyft use AI to match drivers with riders. Microsoft Editor uses AI to suggest writing improvements. Tesla self-driving cars, and other newer cars, use AI for lane-keeping, braking, object detection and route planning. Like every other human technology, it can be used for good and/or evil. AI can serve the human person and human dignity or it can reduce/replace them.

It is imperative that Catholic moral thinking, Catholic ethics and Catholic critical thinking be introduced into the AI technology arena at a local level. AI is knowledge, not wisdom. The world needs Catholics, including Catholic clergy, to start educating themselves on AI capabilities to become moral and ethical thought leaders on its applications. For example, tech companies developing AI must see themselves as moral actors accountable for making moral decisions in its application.

Catholics must stand up

In 2024, Pope Francis expressed serious concern about AI being incorporated into the ability to make war, i.e., autonomous weapons systems and weapons platforms. Today, that train has already left the station. To protect human goodness, Catholics have to stand up and be counted in real time. If we do not engage as the Church, AI technology is going to run over us.

In this new industrial revolution, many other areas need Catholic AI moral and ethical thought leadership at a working level – healthcare, criminal justice and law enforcement, human resources organizations, social media platforms, finance and banking, education and more. Human beings who use AI technology must be guided by principles grounded in natural law and divine revelation. AI cannot be used to replace human conscience. Human beings must remain accountable.       

The developments in AI technology are not a call for panic but for discernment. Like all fruits of invention, AI is a product of the human intellect. The human intellect is good. It is created in God’s image, but it also is not God. No algorithm, no code, no technology can redeem us - only Jesus. AI can never become an idol. It cannot be something that we trust more than God’s grace, conscience or God’s truth.

Technology can assist us in our humanity, but it cannot absolve us of moral responsibility. It cannot love. It cannot pray. It cannot sacrifice for a loved one.

Faith and reason are not opposed. Faith and innovation are not opposed. Faith elevates both these things. Faith allows us to shape technology with the light of Christ in order to serve God’s truth and human dignity.