In the halls of Silicon Valley, one might expect programmers and data analysts to be hard at work figuring out cold AI algorithms without a religious thought or word being uttered between them.
However, recently, Catholic priests have been having closed-door meetings with AI programmers who reached out to them to gain the church’s insight into understanding what makes a human a human.
A Say Over AI
For their part, Catholic priests have been meeting with programmers under an interest of discussing what the emerging field of AI means for human society and to have input on how the technology develops.
There have even been private audiences between AI programmers and Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Humans Versus Machines
Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican Council for Culture, is one of several clergy members interested in bridging the divide between AI and Catholic spirituality.
“[AI] is asking us to think again fundamentally about what it is that makes us human. What distinguishes humans from machines?” Tighe said.
Questioning Consciousness
As AI systems get more complicated and are able to perfectly reproduce expressions of human consciousness like speech, activities, and problem solving; some people are wondering by what measure are humans distinguished from machines at that point.
Tighe believes that consciousness and relationality are a solely human feature and that AI programmers aren’t creating them, but are “creating another type of entity.”
Asking About Ethics
As the implications of AI technology continue to expand its potential, Rev. Philip Larrey says programmers are turning to older religions and “asking questions about ethics and the ramifications of what they are doing.”
It seems there is an inherent fear in the possibilities of the technology which is giving some programmers pause about what direction to go in.
Attempts to Embrace AI
As AI technology becomes more accepted in society, even the religious have taken to trying to see where it fits in the scheme of things. Recently, a Catholic group Catholic Answers released an AI priest called Father Justin.
However, it also just had to recall the priest for giving puzzling answers around certain topics, including telling a user to use Gatorade instead of holy water in baptism.
AI Research Group
A North American group of theologians, philosophers, and ethical experts called AI Research Group are keeping tabs on how the technology develops, thinking it teeters on the line between good and bad.
“The analogy to fire is probably a good one,” said Ai Research Group memberUniversity of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture Catherine Moon. “It can bring light and warmth or it can bring destruction and darkness.”
Pope Francis’ AI Priorities
The current leader of the Catholic church, Pope Francis, has recently taken it upon himself to address the topic of AI openly so the church’s position can be known publicly.
The Vatican announced last week that the Pope will take place in an AI discussion that will occur at the next G7 Summit this summer.
Historic Event
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni celebrated the announcement from The Holy See Press Office, underscoring its gravity.
“This is the first time in history that a pontiff will participate in the work of a G7,” Meloni said. “I heartily thank the Holy Father for accepting Italy’s invitation. His presence honours our nation and the entire G7.” The summit will host the countries of the United States, Canada, France, The United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.
Tech CEO’s Are Visiting the Pope
Tech CEOs and figures in AI have started making a regular habit of seeking private meetings with Pope Francis around AI.
Sam Altman, known for his work on ChatGPT, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Demis Hassabis, the person behind Google’s DeepMind AI, have been observed as visitors to the Pope.
The Minerva Dialogues
There is an annual gathering of tech, business, religious, and Catholic leaders at the Monastery of St. Mary Sopra Minerva in Rome that started in recent years and has forged a friendship between the Vatican and Silicon Valley.
The so-called Minerva Dialogues sees bright minds, theologians, church officials, and other concerned parties discussing the impacts of emerging technologies.
Future of AI and Religion
While some see AI and religion as inherently incompatible and opposed to one another, the humans behind each faction are at least taking steps to ensure a cooperative solution is being discussed.
As AI continues its rapid development of amazing technology, these questions will increasingly be dragged from closed-door meetings and out into the public square for everyone to weigh in on.
