The leader of the Global Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, emphasized the importance of safeguarding human dignity amidst the rapid development of modern technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). This profound message was delivered at the opening of the Seventh International Seminar on Church Communication, held at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago.
Through an official letter signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Pope called for all digital tools to be utilized to spread truth and the common good. This annual event specifically explored the ethical, social, and religious implications of artificial intelligence with reference to the papal encyclical titled Magnifica humanitas.
The Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Cardinal Fernando Natalio Chomalí Garib, highlighted social media as a real reflection of the dynamics of human emotions and relationships. In his presentation, he formulated four main pillars that must be upheld in digital-era communication: truth, goodness, beauty, and utility.
Cardinal Chomalí also reminded that the encyclical Magnifica humanitas must not be interpreted narrowly from a technical standpoint alone. The document is designed to shield human dignity from being eroded by the hegemony of artificial intelligence algorithms.
Echoing this sentiment, the President of the Episcopal Conference of Chile, Archbishop René Osvaldo Rebolledo Salinas, reaffirmed that scientific progress must place the human person as the primary subject. Absolute human dignity must not be sacrificed for the sake of technological efficiency; instead, it must be the ultimate goal of every new innovation.
