What are we Building?

Pope Leo XIV recently launched his first encyclical, titled Magnifica Humanitas: On the Protection of Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Speaking from the Synod Hall, the pope personally presented this social encyclical, calling for moral guidance on artificial intelligence, urging a renewed focus on justice, human dignity, and a “new humanism” in the digital age. He situated Magnifica Humanitas in continuity with Catholic social teaching, responding to a growing “culture of power” fueled by emerging technologies. The two biblical images pictured below illustrate a pair of metaphors the Pope used when he spoke, and which introduce his encyclical—artistic illustrations of dehumanization on the one hand and shared responsibility on the other.

In the central portion of Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo reflects upon humanity’s newest technologies: including artificial intelligence, cognitive science, nanotechnology, robotics and biotechnology. The encyclical cites Laudato Si’ for its criticisms of the view of technocracy and the belief that the development of technology is morally neutral; instead he calls for questioning technology’s purpose and direction:

The biblical image accompanying these reflections is that of a building project. On the one hand, there is the Tower of Babel, where collective effort follows a plan that dominates and ultimately dehumanizes (cf. Gen 11:1–9). On the other hand, there are the ruins of Jerusalem, which under Nehemiah’s direction are rebuilt piece by piece as a project of shared responsibility (cf. Neh 2–6). We are called to reflect on the great “construction sites” of our era and ask: What are we building?

— Chapter Three: Technology and Dominance: The Grandeur of Humanity in Light of the Promises of AI

Amazon data center, under construction in Indiana

Tower of Babel, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1563

Greek Orthodox Icon of Nehemiah

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem