Pope Leo XIV, in his encyclical “Magnificent Humanity,” warns that artificial intelligence (AI) could create new forms of exclusion, according to a recent commentary. The pontiff's caution comes as AI increasingly influences decision-making, particularly among the youth. In the Philippines, a newspaper report reveals that 10 million students ask AI for advice on life problems, raising questions about the role of parents, educators, and religious leaders.
Cultural Roots of the Problem
Religion and education are the principal elements of the nation’s culture, yet the culture has produced a self-serving political and economic elite and a population that abjectly submits to authority. This has not promoted truth as the common good but instead perpetuated abuse by a few who keep power and wealth. The commentary argues that this cultural backdrop makes Filipinos vulnerable to the hidden mindbenders of AI, which operates as a pure algorithm bereft of emotion and critical thinking.
AI as a Tool for Control
The real threat is not AI itself but the anonymous few who possess the resources to maintain data centers and program AI to serve their interests. These controllers could inculcate a dehumanizing worldview and values in current and future generations. The commentary cites the case of two minors in Tacloban who killed fellow students, despite being taught not to kill by parents, teachers, and priests. It asks what technology has done to distort their sense of values and override biological, educational, and religious teachings about the intrinsic value of human life.
Misguided Policy Responses
Lowering the age of criminal liability or revising the school curriculum to improve reading scores misses the point. Instead, the commentary suggests considering a law that makes parents liable for the misconduct of minors under their care and letting teachers act as parents while minors are at school. It criticizes legislators whose minds have been bent by ambition at the expense of others.
The Way Forward
The task is to ensure Filipinos make existential decisions based on eternal truths like human dignity and the common good. This is the job of parents, teachers, and religious leaders, not legislators. The commentary concludes that it is not too late to figure out how to use AI to promote humanizing values, positive relationships, and the common good. It calls on today’s parents, teachers, and priests to rise to the challenge.
