By Dan Russo
Editorial
Pope Leo XIV told a group of clergy in Rome Feb. 20 that they should resist “the temptation to prepare homilies with artificial intelligence.” He didn’t say anything about Catholic newspaper editorial writers using AI, so if you don’t like the following opinion piece, blame the chatbot that wrote it.
Just kidding. This was written by a genuine human. All joke’s aside, the first American pontiff chose his papal name, in part, because he felt called to address technological transformation, telling cardinals last summer: “…Pope Leo XIII in his historic encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’ addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.”
Iowa is becoming one of the places in the world at the forefront of this second industrial revolution. Google is investing $7 billion in cloud and AI infrastructure over two years, which includes the current construction of a new data center in Cedar Rapids and the expansion of an existing one in Council Bluffs. Charles Nichols, Linn County’s director of planning and development told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that the centers will “consume large amounts of manufactured and natural resources like electricity and water.”
There are also social consequences to AI which will necessitate regulation. For example, young people are turning to artificial “friendships” to cope with loneliness. In response, the Iowa legislature is crafting a legal framework to protect minors:
“The Senate Technology Committee passed SF 2417 unanimously,” states a report from the Iowa Catholic Conference (ICC). “It prohibits designing chatbots that encourage users to commit suicide or perform acts of violence, and requires chatbots to frequently disclose during a chat that they are not human. Sen. Kara Warme of Ames, the bill manager, gave Pope Leo a shout out in committee, saying ‘things that aren’t human shouldn’t pretend to be human.’” The proposal prohibits “Statements that simulate emotional dependence on a minor account holder,” and bans “statements that simulate romantic interaction and/or sexual innuendo.”
The ICC cited studies that indicate 72% of U.S. teens have tried AI companions, with about 1 in 3 using them for social interaction or relationships. The House Economic Growth and Technology Committee voted out a similar bill, HSB 647.
Passing a law that protects minors from the dark side of AI would be good. There is also an effort to create Catholic chatbots and other Catholic AI programs to offer alternatives to secular versions. MagisAI, developed by the Magis Center, is one example. Catholics need to be putting money and talent into these types of projects.
Companies who are profiting from AI should be required to invest money in the Iowa communities where their data centers are located. The funds could go toward re-training for the unemployed and investment in electrical capacity so the average person’s electricity bills don’t go up.
Pope Leo XIII and other Catholics were heavily involved in addressing the problems caused by the first industrial revolution. As the AI revolution picks up steam, we must be mindful of the rights of workers and human dignity so that we can avoid making mistakes of the past.
Dan Russo, editor
