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20 Mar 2026

 

Artificial Intelligence - A Better Me ?

Our society is comfy with abbreviations – sometimes to confusion. For example, those of us who are technically slow may not know that the abbreviation “AI” stands for Artificial Intelligence.

What is AI … Artificial Intelligence?

• Artificial Intelligence is a human system which receives new data not previously programmed into it by human regulators.
• Once that system receives new data, it somehow “learns” from that information on its own and makes changes based on that new data.
• In other words, the system is pre-programmed to adapt itself to entirely new situations. Based on previous instructions, it “responds” to new data and makes changes accordingly.

AI programs bestow the ability to interpret, change and adapt to incoming challenges. This ability is pre-programmed into the system, thus mimicking human intelligence. Some adaptive mechanisms are astonishing, complex and confounding.

AI is everywhere: “self-driving” cars, tennis-playing robots, the power to edit and re-write your computer documents, special effects in movies. AI abounds in education and corporations, even in pornography’s corrupting displays.

AI is growing in ways which please many folks but upset others who, wisely, fear a machine-dominated future … those who are wise to the dangers of dehumanization and, with it, the continuing eclipse of moral acuity in human nature.

Cautions

Let us remember that AI is an “artificial” construct; people are initially in charge. This means our legitimate concerns about AI’s potentially destructive impact on our culture do not rest solely on its technological power. After all, AI depends on humans for its furtherance. It is the human element about which we should all be concerned.

• It is the human agents who possess the knowledge and savvy to put AI into our lives and, by doing so, to radically transform our culture – for better or worse.
• It is those human beings who have the power to control AI to serve humanity or to enslave us.

If these concerns seem exaggerated, remember the painfully recurring lessons of History and mankind’s readiness to ignore the moral nature and responsibilities of human life.

History’s Truths

The ideas behind today’s AI were present even in the time of Greek civilization. Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and patron of blacksmiths constructed metal robots to work in his foundry. Our modern form of AI was initiated by cognitive scientist John McCarthy in 1950s and underwent further development in the 70's and 80's. Research now proceeds under the eyes of specialists.

The future of Artificial Intelligence seems unlimited in the lives of everyone --- and this is good reason for our caution. Why? Because humans are in thrall to “technological progress” and its promise of a better life. We tend to trust (often naïvely) those who tell us what we want to hear or what they convince us to desire. In fact, History tells us that whole nations have been seduced by the destructive palaver of reckless leaders who promote practicality and profit over morality and self-sacrifice.

Indeed, in many segments of society, the mention of “morality” is now an archaic remnant of the fact that we are, above all else, moral beings, created by God Who deserves our obedience and honor. We are redeemed Christ, Whose authentic care for us was/is evident in His dying for us.

So, here is the problematic issue: As AI’s benefits are taken for granted, many people forget the moral responsibilities inherent in human nature and forget morality as they buy into the allure of “technological progress.” They accept de-humanization and the eclipse of morality as the price of “advancement.”

Furthermore, AI raises the dreadful specters of Transhumanism and, worse, Posthumanism (explained below). As we consider human nature’s future, we have every reason for concern.

Transhumanism? Posthumanism ?

Transhumanism? Posthumanism? What relevance do these terms have to you or me or any of us?

Let me explain.

Transhumanism is a system of thought and action based on the belief that human beings should use all resources of science and technology to overcome the physical and biological limits which come with human nature.

The practical applications of Transhumanism are many, such as the easing of aging’s costs. But when Transhumanism seeks the end of aging and death, it denies the inevitability of Creation’s limits which human nature inherits.

Transhumanism believes that technological progress is unlimited. It foresees a future when humans will be re-designed for maximum potential. Scientists will develop programs to boost human capacity to exceed the present limits of human nature. We will then achieve technology-supported immortality. In this scenario, the moral principles of human nature are too confining.

But there’s more…

Transhumanism spawns Posthumanism, a vision of humanity in which our present state of existence is inferior.

Posthumanism believes humans will eventually realize that we must exceed the limits of our inherited human nature, must deconstruct ourselves and leap beyond the boundaries which our Creator has set for us. In this vision, the machine is a model for human behavior, unruffled by morality’s boundaries or Nature’s laws, free from God’s demands and from the responsibilities to one another which are essential to human existence.

At the center of all this is a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human?

Fundamental Truth

The Truth is that our human potential is not of our own making. It is a gift, given to us by our Creator. It is obvious that we are created beings, dependent upon our Creator for the benefits of human nature. We are, therefore, wise to remember that our countless gifts have been bestowed upon us by our Creator. To deny this reality is to deny our essential nature.

The dangers in denial are detailed in a new, thought-provoking Vatican document published March 4th. It is titled “Where Is Humanity Going?”

This document warns that rapid technological changes (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Posthumanist proposals) raise profound questions about the future of humans. The document cautions that such movements contain the risk that we shall (as History attests) again ignore the “integral nature of the human being.” 

The document states the obvious: Human dignity is not something humanity constructs for itself. “To be a human person, with infinite dignity, is not something we have built or acquired,” the document says. “It is the fruit of a gratuitous gift that precedes us.”

The document alerts us to the fact that humanity today faces yet another danger. Modern science and technology yield marvelous outcomes for the human condition. At the same time, these advances reveal our innate human vulnerability, evident in war, illness, famine and countless other ways.

The document states that humanity continues to experience both greatness and fragility. We must not – not - glorify technological power nor must we resign ourselves to our weaknesses. The document clearly states that today’s technological development requires a corresponding growth in moral responsibility:

Finally . . .

As the document urges, we must pay special attention to Transhumanism and Posthumanism, both of which seek technological advances by which certain segments of humanity may try (as History again attests) to radically transform our given human condition through politics, education, etc.

The document reinforces the Christian belief that human life is to be understood and lived as a God-given vocation, i.e., as a calling from God. Human life is a gift we are given, a gift meant to be spent in service to others and, thus, to our Creator. The document puts it this way:

The document also says that the answer to the question, “Where is humanity taking itself” depends on whether we choose to treat our technological progress as our master … or we choose to control it for what it truly is, namely, a tool designed to enhance - but never to replace - the dignity of the human person.

When we consider what is involved, where do we start?

We must start with ourselves. We are given the gift of life by God, with the daily moral responsibilities and daily moral choices which the gift of our lives truly asks of us.

We always have a choice to do what is morally right … and we always have a choice to do what is morally wrong. May we choose what is right. May we choose to accept our dignity and meet our responsibilities to one another, and act as Children of our Creator.

May it be so, and may we so believe …….