Press ReleasesThe danger of unregulated artificial Intelligence is becoming very apparent with some in the tech industry claiming that AI presents a clear danger to human survival. Many arguments are being made to slow down the development of AI and concerns about the environmental, social, labor and political impacts are becoming ubiquitous.
The Vatican has been in discussion with the business executives in Silicon Valley for about 10 years urging them to place ethical and moral values at the forefront of their design and development of AI.
Pope Leo XIV has contributed to this ongoing discussion in his first encyclical letter “Magnificent Humanity; Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.”
Leo describes what distinguishes the human person from a technology that is capable of solving complex problems orders of magnitude faster than human beings: “So-called artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean. Nor do they have a moral conscience, since they do not judge good and evil, grasp the ultimate meaning of situations, or bear responsibility for consequences. They may imitate language, behavior 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.”
A presentation by a panel of scholars and educators will explore the encyclical from the perspectives of different academic disciplines. The panel will be held at the parish hall of St. Augustine Catholic Church, 18 Barre St. Montpelier, Vermont on Friday, Oct.16, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
Presenters are Dr. Edward Mahoney, Professor Emeritus, Saint Michael’s College (SMC), SMC faculty: Dr. Greta Pangborn, Dir. Computer Science Program, and Dr. Crystal L’Hote, Dir. Philosophy and Ethics Program, and UVM Professor Dr. Jon Erickson, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. After the presentations, there will be an opportunity for questions.
Free and open to the public. More information at jgainza@vtlink.net; 802-522-2376.
