Antiqua Et Nova
Relating the Vatican's note on AI to parenting and teaching
I’m looking back at some unfinished drafts now that the Francis pontificate has closed. This one looks at the document Antiqua Et Nova on the relationship between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. In a separate post, I’ll be examining Spes Non Confundit, which declared the current year of jubilee.
Committed to its active role in the global dialogue on these issues, the Church invites those entrusted with transmitting the faith - including parents, teachers, pastors, and bishops - to dedicate themselves to this critical subject with care and attention. While this document is intended especially for them, it is also meant to be accessible to the broader audience, particularly those who share the conviction that scientific and technological advances should be directed toward serving the human person and the common good.1
It looks like the Church is inviting me (and maybe even you) to dedicate myself with care and attention to the subject of artificial intelligence. Even more, I would think that as a leader for other parents at my parish, that I ought to let them know that they, too, are invited. But why? It seems that the key factor is the work of serving others and the common good. The Church is asking us, especially those in the some role of catechist, to take seriously the quickly emerging and evolving realities of AI. As we attempt to pass on the Catholic faith and instruct others in how to live a life of discipleship, the modern context is one where we will come into contact with this machine “intelligence.” I put intelligence in quotation marks because the document points out that “AI’s advanced features give it sophisticated abilities to perform tasks, but not the ability to think. This distinction is crucially important, as the way “intelligence” is defined inevitably shapes how we understand the relationship between human thought and this technology.”2
The document starts out by making this distinction between human and artificial intelligence, the main one being that humans are rational and machines perform a given function. The human person, as a body-soul composite, encounters reality in a way that no computer can. True intelligence requires knowledge that the body and soul provide. As well, intelligence is communal in nature as it “is not an isolated faculty but is exercised in relationship, finding its fullest expression in dialogue, collaboration, and solidarity. We learn with others, and we learn through others.”3 Most importantly, even more than knowledge, is love. “If I understand all mysteries and all knowledge … but do not have love, I am nothing.”4 Our intelligence seeks out truth because love requires truth. That same search leads us to God often through an encounter with the good, true, and beautiful of reality.
Turning back to the invitation to parents and teachers, what is the vision of the Church in regards to educating others in a time where AI is pretty much everywhere? We have to teach that AI is a tool to be used in an ethical way. We have a long history of developing new tools and technologies (a good thing), but not all glorify God. There are some mindsets that we are asked to avoid:
Isolate ourselves or others
Rely on AI for truth
Equate teachers with chatbots
See education as more than passing on information
Labor at the service of AI
Encourage a dependence on technology
Looking specifically at paragraphs 77 and 78, there is a call to look at education of the individual as something beyond “a mere process of passing on facts and intellectual skills.”5 Especially in Catholic education, we need to take a good look at whether we are preparing our students for future jobs or future vocations. Sure, some will be engineers, some will be teachers, some nurses or doctors. But a much greater number will enter into marriage or, God willing, priesthood or religious life. “True education strives to form individuals with a view toward their final end and the good of society to which they belong.”6 What pushes us towards our final end? Our vocations. How do we best serve and be on mission within society? Our vocations. Preparing students and children to most efficiently operate AI tools in their job just isn’t going to cut it.
Paragraph 79 emphasizes what I see as the greatest commonality between parent and teacher - relational ministry. “At the center of this work of forming the whole person is the indispensable relationship between teacher and student. Teachers do more than convey knowledge; they model the essential human qualities and inspire the joy of discovery.”7 This point is primarily made to say that AI will never be able to replicate these relationships “The physical presence of a teacher creates a relational dynamic that AI cannot replicate…”8 We can all recognize that AI might bring advantages to aspects of the educational process, but learners should experience the pastoral presence of one who cares for their own progress and well-being, both spiritually and intellectually. That’s why everyone’s favorite teacher from their schooling days is the one that cared about them. It doesn’t need to be the most accomplished, published, or tenured educator. It is the one that loves the best.
Towards the end of the document, we are reminded that “Individual users, families, civil society, corporations, institutions, governments, and international organizations should work at their proper levels to ensure that AI is used for the good of all.”9 Our families are called out here. The basic way for a parent to ensure that AI is used in their home for the good of all is to talk about it, limit it, and model it’s use. Limiting and modeling probably come down to the same or similar practices, though. As a father raising children in our fiber-optic and streaming device world, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to stay on top of what current technology can do and to set clear boundaries for its use. Our kids will eventually be asked to use AI, and we want to get ahead of it. This is illustrated when the document quotes Georges Bernanos: “the danger is not in the multiplication of machines, but in the ever-increasing number of men accustomed from their childhood to desire only what machines can give.”10
It is not worth waiting for our children and students to figure out on their own the ethics and limits of AI. We all know it is being looked to as God-like in its ability to offer answers quickly and convincingly- even to spiritual questions. We parents and teachers must show how and where to find Truth. We need to remember and model for our children and students how to interact in a dignified way with AI and technology in general. I can tell you from experience that setting boundaries and policing technology is going to be difficult, but it is worth the battle.
§5.
§12.
§18.
1 Cor 3:12.
§77.
ibid.
§79.
ibid.
§110.
§112.