Keyboard warriors. Instagram. Finance bros. Crypto scammers (and their enablers). And most of all, financial hoarders masquerading as super-humans. Pope Leo XIV had words for all these groups and many more in that “AI-must-be-disarmed” encyclical the Vatican released this week. You’ve seen the headlines about artificial intelligence and the risks it poses to humanity, and yes, the Pope has tried to kick-start an overdue conversation about that. But the head of the Catholic church said a lot more than that in his essay. It’s believed to be the first major Catholic document that’s native to English, and as such, it’s an eminently approachable text for English speakers. I strongly recommend you take an hour or two and read it yourself. It’s highly relevant to our time, whether or not you consider yourself religious. But be prepared: you’ll probably walk away sad, as a would-be disciple did when Jesus told them what he’d really have to do to be faithful in the Gospel of Matthew. There’s some really challenging truth bombs in here.
Hopefully by way of teasing you, I’ve pulled out a set of items from the document that I found particularly meaningful, and on point. On a personal note, Magnifica Humanitas elegantly raises concerns across dozens of issues, many which I’ve spent the past 25 years squawking about in this newsletter and in my time at NBC news. I find it affirming. I’ve added a few thoughts to the Pope’s words; I’ve tried to be sparse and stay out of the way.
But this means my approach to the document is clearly biased, coming from my point of view as a tech skeptic and market critic. Which means you should read the whole thing yourself.
Some generic warnings about the power of tech, and tech companies:
“Never has humanity had such power over itself.”
“Today, however, the main drivers of development are private, often transnational, parties that are endowed with resources and the capacity to intervene that surpass those of many Governments.”
—A small group of unelected tech elites is making decisions for all of humanity without any accountability. They are “Too Big to Sue,” as I described in a podcast for Duke University not long ago. To wit, Facebook faced a $5 billion fine for ignoring a court order, the largest ever, and that had virtually no impact on the company’s (mis)behavior.
“Technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it. Therefore, the primary choice is not between a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence.”
“Today, the human desire for fullness of life is at risk of being misled by deceitful goals, such as the prospect of a technology that promises to free us from all weakness, and models of wellbeing that leave behind entire populations.”
–Generations have learned the hard way and keep forgetting. There is no Fountain of Youth; anyone selling access to it is a charlatan.
“All too often, we place our hope in unlimited “upgrades.”
–Even Paul McCartney hates constant upgrades assaulting our gadgets and software
We cannot wait for AI to fix itself
“To think that new technologies will automatically benefit everyone is to ignore the evidence…. More than ever, in the age of AI and robotics, it is no longer possible to rely solely on the ‘invisible hand’ of the market.
–The pattern is clear. New tech arrives, capable of both good and bad things. People scratch their heads while crime thrives, investors hoard, and fallout like digital addiction piles up. Then eventually we get around to passing safety regulations. This pattern is foolhardy, and much human suffering is caused by the foolish delays. The safety of humanity must be considered alongside the invention of new capabilities.
Gotcha Capitalism is bankrupt; it’s a terrible way to run AI
“It is certainly desirable for technology to relieve humans of arduous, repetitive or dangerous tasks and to provide intelligent support for human activity. Yet, the protection of employment opportunities and the irreplaceable role of the individual must remain the general rule. The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good.”
–It’s so lazy to say shareholder value trumps every other concern. That’s a modern invention, one that’s quite convenient for a select few.
“Economic models that exalt efficiency and individual success often view investment in disadvantaged people or in those with slower development paths as useless or inconvenient, as if their futures depended solely on their ability to keep pace with the ‘winners.’ ”
–Giving voice to the voiceless is a high calling; the opposite is a very dark art. And trust me, we will all be voiceless someday and hope someone will speak for us
“Instead of waiting for the benefits of growth to reach the poor ‘eventually,’ decisions need to be taken to ensure that growth becomes inclusive from the outset. The experience of recent decades shows that in economic and financial crises, it is always the poor who pay the highest price, while the theories that promise automatic general prosperity often prove to be illusory.
—The phrase “trickle down” has been used to excuse market distortions, like monopolies, for decades. Time to stop being fooled by promises that things will be getting better any day now…
“In recent years, finance has increased in importance and has undergone significant innovation, driven partly by the introduction of cryptocurrencies. The reflections and observations contained in the teaching of my predecessors, particularly in their Encyclicals, have highlighted how the financial intermediation sector, “when operating without the necessary anthropological and moral foundations, has not only produced manifest abuses and injustice, but also demonstrated a capacity to create systemic and worldwide economic crisis.” It is likewise the case that income from capital risks replacing income from labor, which is often confined to the margins of the economic system’s primary interests. Yet savings transformed into credit for the real economy, thereby creating both jobs and self-employed work, remain central for development and the investments that must accompany ongoing transitions. The social function of credit remains irreplaceable. Finance for its own sake is fundamentally different from finance aimed at the development, creation and evolution of work.”
–The wrong people are rewarded in our version of (Gotcha) Capitalism. The pastry chef who arrives at 4 a.m. to make treats for his store barely scrapes by, while the landord who owns half the city simply cashes rent checks. And the investment banker who securitizes the landlord’s loans buys vacation homes in the Hamptons. This is not capitalism; it is financialization, and it’s destroying the middle class. A good book to learn more is Rana Foroohar’s Makers and Takers.
Data collection and profiling dehumanizes all of us
“First, transparency and accountability: when data and algorithms influence credit distribution, personnel selection or access to services and opportunities, it is necessary that decisions be understandable, contestable and subject to oversight, so that individuals are not reduced to mere profiles….A further risk, less visible but no less serious, is that of social control made possible by the massive collection of data and use of algorithmic systems. When every action—movements, purchases, relationships and preferences—leaves a trace, a new form of power emerges, namely the power to profile, predict and influence behavior, often without individuals being fully aware of it. If such kinds of data are used to make decisions affecting concrete opportunities — such as access to credit, employment or essential services — there is a risk of undermining freedom and discriminating against the most vulnerable
–Credit reporting and credit scores are considered a modern miracle in financialization. They are also riddled with errors that are the cause of much unfairness. There’s been a decades-long battle to bring credit reports out of the shadows to give ordinary people a fighting chance against this system, and that fight still goes on. Our world has now moved far beyond that kind of labelling. Our every move is now watched, and logged, and held in a database to be used against us someday. People are not profiles. We’ve barely begun to understand the consequences of such data collection, let alone put real guardrails around it.
For those who peddle in digital crack — thriving on human weakness
“Having reflected on truth and education, work and families, we must now consider the impact of the digital revolution on human freedom, addressing risks to both the mental health of individuals and broader social challenges. The subtler forms of addiction linked to the “digital attention economy” should not be underestimated, since platforms and services are often designed to capture users’ time and attention, exploiting their vulnerabilities and weakening their inner freedom. When business models thrive on human weakness, the person is treated as a means rather than as an end; those who design or finance such systems bear a moral responsibility that cannot be ignored. There is an urgent need to promote technologies that strengthen interior freedom by fostering education in digital sobriety and the protection of minors, thus countering models that exploit vulnerability.
–Pretty sure the Pope is talking directly to Mark Zuckerberg here
Slouching towards slavery in the digital age
“What prevails is efficiency, rather than respect for freedom and human dignity. Some post-humanist currents even go so far as to envision “second-class” human beings, subordinate to the interests of elites who consider themselves superior….This reality deeply challenges the moral conscience of our time. It is not enough to invoke efficiency, nor to celebrate the benefits of innovation, if they are built on a chain of exploitation that remains deliberately hidden. If technology promises emancipation, yet produces new forms of global subordination, it stands in contradiction to the fundamental principle of human dignity…..The fight against new forms of slavery is a decisive test for the ethical discernment of AI and digital transformation…. Without this ethical and humanizing reflection, the growing power of digital systems could lead us toward new atrocities that are no less shameful than those of the past that we now deplore, while we continue to present ourselves as “advanced” and “civilized” societies.
–The kind of language that justifies the exploitation of others
“Even today, colonialism assumes new forms. It no longer dominates only bodies, but appropriates data, transforming personal lives into exploitable information…Entire regions, especially those marked by structural fragility and limited geopolitical relevance, are currently subjected to a new mindset of extraction: that of health data, epidemiological profiles, genetic maps and demographic information. These have become the new “rare earths” of power:
–And yes, data collection is elemental to this scourge
About war without humans
“Here the question is not merely the efficiency of new tools, but also the risk that technology, detached from ethics and responsibility, will render decisions about life and death more rapid and impersonal, and will present the use of force as an immediate and viable option.”
“Thus, war is not only fought, but also culturally conditioned through simplistic narratives, a friend-or-foe mentality, disinformation and fear. When historical memory fades and the ethical principles that protect civilians and the most vulnerable are weakened, it becomes easier to justify violence as necessary, inevitable or even “sanitized.”
“Cyberspace too has become a battleground. Cyberattacks, data manipulation and campaigns of influence, orchestrated with the help of AI, can destabilize entire countries even before open armed conflict erupts. Moreover, in this area, the attribution of responsibility is often uncertain. When it is unclear who carried out an attack, the risk of disproportionate reaction, miscalculation and escalation increases. For this reason, diplomacy must be capable of operating effectively in this new environment, negotiating shared regulations on the use of digital technologies, in order to protect civilians and the most vulnerable from “invisible” yet real forms of violence.
“No computational system, however sophisticated, can create a heart that gives itself, or a conscience that discerns good from evil. Even when machines excel in efficiency, a human face that asks to be gazed upon remains the center of our history.”
Name-calling in the age of keyboard warrior politics
“We live at a time of significant spiritual and cultural blindness…In such a climate, nihilism and pragmatism become intertwined and end up normalizing grave errors. Religious extremism and identity-based fanaticism ally themselves with irrational economic policies, while politics often turns to misinformation and ridiculing opponents, and systematically cultivating fears and resentments. Thus, diversity is increasingly perceived as a threat, which fuels a desire for possession, a will to dominate, hegemonic ambitions, abuses of power and a fear of those who are different, thereby creating an environment in which new conflicts can develop almost imperceptibly.
“The first contribution we can make toward a more humane civilization is to be mindful of our words.
Some moments of inspiration — the reward for reading this far
“No one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing, just as no one is so weak that they cannot play their part, for ‘power is made perfect in weakness.’ ”
—As a music friend often reminds me, when playing with a group, your job is simply to mind your business and play your part
“Let us not be afraid to get our hands dirty on the ‘construction site’ of our time.”
“In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. ”
“The construction of a world in a state of perpetual conflict is an evil and must be named for what it is. This way of portraying our current situation may seem bleak or pessimistic, yet I consider it necessary to do so. The Christian perspective, however, is not limited to denouncing evil. We view history in the light of the crucified and risen Lord, to whom the Father has given ‘all authority in heaven and on earth.’ We do not consider the present as a predetermined fate, but an opportunity for personal and collective conversion. Moreover, we believe in the power of the Kingdom, which grows from the tiny size of a mustard seed, which, once sown, sprouts and grows. While the tumult of confusion is all around us, goodness grows silently from the earth. In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?’ ”
“A closer analysis of history confirms this. Even in the darkest nights, the Lord raises up men and women who refuse to give up, who persevere in doing good, who protect the vulnerable and open pathways to reconciliation. The memory of the saints, righteous people and the oft-forgotten peacemakers, show us that grace does not magically eliminate conflict, but instead it inspires active resistance to evil and an astonishing creativity in doing good. Christians see the darkness and acknowledge it for what it is, yet they do not merely gaze upon it passively, for they know the light and understand that the darkness has not overcome it and cannot defeat it. For this reason, even when suffering seems to have the last word, Christians serve the good and are sustained by a theological hope that gives reality both meaning and direction.
“The twentieth-century Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien, in the words of a protagonist in one of his novels, described our responsibility in this way: “It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.” [187] The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization. For this reason, it is worthwhile pausing to reflect on some aspects of how we, each in our own way, can cooperate in building the civilization of love.”
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