Pope Leo’s encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ published May 25, has sparked debates in the worlds of technology and theology while galvanizing online creators opposed to artificial intelligence. Anna Rowlands, a theologian and co-presenter of the text with Pope Leo, joins Colleen Dulle to parse the encyclical’s reception, its contributions to Catholic teaching, and whether workers can use the encyclical to justify religious exemptions to using A.I.
Magnifica Humanitas
Posted inPodcasts
Why Pope Leo’s A.I. encyclical is resonating with tech leaders, theologians and young Catholics
Anna Rowlands joined Colleen Dulle on America’s “Inside the Vatican” podcast to discuss the responses to Pope Leo’s now viral encyclical, its reception by the tech industry and its contributions to Catholic theology and social doctrine.
Posted inShort Take
The Enhanced Games are like the Olympics with steroids. What would Pope Leo think?
The founder of the Enhanced Games has said that he is “on a mission to build a new superhumanity.” This is precisely what “Magnifica Humanitas” warns against.
Posted inCatholic Book Club
Orwell, Asimov and predicting the future of A.I.
Writers like George Orwell and Isaac Asimov—and Pope Leo—remind us that we should never let technology take away our human dignity.
Posted inFaith and Reason
Did Pope Leo actually reject just war theory? Unpacking what ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ said about the doctrine
‘Magnifica Humanitas’ asks: Is just war theory still relevant?
Posted inFaith and Reason
A.I. and the human person: A theologian on ‘Magnifica Humanitas’
In “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo draws measured judgments about the features, promises and risks associated with the advanced technology revolution that is rapidly reshaping the ways we communicate, work and govern.
Posted inCatholic Movie Club
‘The Social Network’ and ‘Magnifica Humanitas’: Warnings against progress at the expense of our humanity
Both the encyclical and the film ask the same question: What role does the human heart play in technological progress?
Posted inOf Many Things
A.I. is the headline for ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ but Catholic social teaching is its spine
The first two chapters of ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ are a masterclass in how the church understands and develops its social teaching.
Posted inShort Take
Why should anyone listen to what Pope Leo says about AI?
Almost immediately after Pope Leo released “Magnifica Humanitas,” critics asked what the Holy Father could possibly know about a topic as complex as artificial intelligence.
Posted inFaith in Focus
Why ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is Pope Leo’s most important action on synodality yet
Leo tells us the the church must bear witness to its own social teaching by becoming a more synodal church.