View source for Artificial Intelligence and the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church

=Discussion=

Fabiano Incerti and Douglas Borges Candido:

"On January 1, 2024, Pope Francis
surprised the world by directing his
message for the International Day
of Peace focusing on the theme of
Artificial Intelligence.

In his speech, the pontiff reminds us of
the urgent need to deepen the debate
on how technological innovations can
shape our society and how they can
contribute to building a more just and
peaceful world. Artificial Intelligence
provides us with an unprecedented
opportunity to transform human
reality and the planet, because as the
document Gaudium et Spes recalls,
with our work and intelligence we
seek to further develop life itself,
contributing to a better organization
of society, to the increase of freedom
and fraternal communion (n. 33).
However, along with the hope and
infinite possibilities that ever-new and
accelerated technologies bring us, Pope
Francis does not refrain from pointing
out the risks that now, but also in
the medium and long term, make us
vulnerable. In this sense, as a Catholic
university, we have the responsibility
to intensify training and care in dealing
with this topic, because as we already
see in our daily lives, the development
of Artificial Intelligence has promoted
significant changes in different social
spaces, from communications to
public administration, from family
life to school life, from subjectivities
to collectivities, from the economy to
politics. And, occupying a unique place
in the discussions, the Catholic Church
has not only taken an interest in this
debate, but is also committed to the
ethical developments of possible new
forms of exclusion and social problems
that may arise from this context.

In this sense, to ensure that AI benefits
everyone, it is crucial to adopt principles
such as inclusion, transparency and
security, and to establish bodies that
oversee ethical issues, thus preventing
personal data from being manipulated
for commercial and political purposes,
compromising freedom of choice.

Furthermore, existing legislation is still
ineffective in controlling the different
forms of violence and exposure in the
virtual space. Technology, the Pope
recalls, must be used to promote the
common good and not to exacerbate
inequalities or conflicts.

Machine learning and deep learning have
had a decisive impact on reality, but they raise
questions about the deeper meaning 
of life and truth. While helping us,
these tools can create false and biased information,
undermining trust in the media, exacerbating discrimination
and electoral interference. They must therefore be used
carefully to protect collective and personal well-being.
One of their fundamental concerns, which relates directly
to the Church’s social doctrine, is that the increasing use of
Artificial Intelligence to assess the reliability of individuals
and assign rights can exacerbate prejudices and social
inequalities, since automated systems can reproduce errors
and injustices. The invasive use of data and social credit
systems can undermine human dignity, reducing individuals
to mere data sets and ignoring essential values such as
compassion and forgiveness. In the workplace, in addition
to precariousness, automation can disproportionately
benefit a few while harming many, making it essential that
the international community prioritize respect for workers’
rights and wage equity.
In times of war and conflict, how can we not mention the
arms sector? The pontiff pointed out that the increasing
automation of weapons, including independent lethal
systems, raises serious concerns due to the difficulty
of attributing moral responsibility to machines. The
possibility of such weapons being used for destructive
purposes increases the risk of promoting war and
violence. In contrast, Artificial Intelligence, if directed
towards peaceful ends, can promote integral human
development and global fraternity.
The advancement of Artificial Intelligence poses
significant challenges for education and culture. While
digital technologies expand forms of communication and
can become powerful learning tools, there is an urgent
need to reflect on how they shape relationships and
teaching methods. Education must focus on developing
critical thinking, enabling children, adolescents, young
people and adults to discern and evaluate information
coming from the web and information systems. We are
constantly bombarded by an avalanche of information,
but this does not mean that it generates knowledge in us.
Furthermore, it is crucial to confront misinformation and
old fears that hide behind new technologies. Educational
and scientific institutions must guide technology training
with an ethical and social focus, promoting integration and
respect between cultures for a peaceful, plural and rich
coexistence of encounters.

To ensure that AI contributes to peace and the common
good, Pope Francis invited us to foster an “[[Algoretics]]”
– an ethics of programming and the use of digital
technologies. This involves incorporating values such
as transparency, fairness and respect for privacy from
the earliest stages of technological development. This
includes building robust international regulation and
promoting education that empowers individuals to use
AI with discernment.

It was taking into account this complex and challenging
context, but also full of educational and human opportunities
that Pope Francis points out to us, that '''PUCPR approved,
on August 21, 2024, in its University Council, the Guidelines
for the use of Artificial Intelligence – AI at PUCPR'''. They
concern, above all, the institutional alignment for guiding
ethical, responsible, intentional and conscious ways of using
AI in the teaching and learning process and in research, thus
seeking to mitigate risks to learning, cognitive development,
academic honesty or others, that the reckless use of AI tools
can bring. In addition, its objective is to provide support and
assistance to teachers and students so that they can explore
the potential that Artificial Intelligence tools make available.

This is PUCPR assuming its responsibility in the education
of students prepared to build an environment in which
Artificial Intelligence is at the service of building a better
and fairer world for everyone."

(https://www.pucpress.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CADERNOS_DO_CONTEMPORANEO_0000_P.pdf)

[[Category:P2P_Ethics]]
[[Category:Protocols_and_Algorithms]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]