Pope Leo XIV encyclical sparks reflection on AI and human creativity

THE EDITOR, Madam: Pope Leo XIV has issued his debut encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, with the English text running to 42,300 words.

In it, he addresses why people must be treated as precious and why their place within society should be safeguarded. Artificial intelligence may complete numerous jobs with greater speed and accuracy than people, but that still leaves the deeper question of what makes us human. Would AI choose the same heavy use of yellow that Van Gogh did, or would it balance the palette evenly? Would a machine ponder, “To be or not to be?” Could it feel loyalty to a football club languishing near the foot of the table?

As a retired mathematics teacher, I also wonder whether AI would understand that many students do not like mathematics and that others struggle with it.

The encyclical presumably exists in Latin, Italian and other languages, a task that would have demanded much of the pope’s time, even if artificial intelligence helped with translation or composition.

Humanity is secure only if AI remains an instrument, not a peer. A clearly marked off switch may not be a bad idea.

Dennis Fitzgerald