The Vatican has released a sweeping new document addressing the ethical, philosophical, and theological dimensions of artificial intelligence, marking its most comprehensive statement yet on the role of AI in human society. Titled “Antiqua et Nova: Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence,” the 118-paragraph text was jointly issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education and approved by Pope Francis on January 14, 2025.
The document underscores that while AI is a powerful human invention, it must always remain a tool — not a substitute for the human mind or soul. Drawing on Scripture, Catholic teaching, and classical philosophy, it emphasizes that true intelligence is not merely functional or data-driven, but spiritual, embodied, relational, and oriented toward truth and love.
“Artificial intelligence may be able to mimic the outputs of human intelligence,” the Vatican writes, “but it cannot replicate the fullness of the human person, created in the image of God.”
Among its core assertions is a firm distinction between the capabilities of AI and the essence of human intelligence. The Church warns against reducing intelligence to computational tasks or confusing machine learning with authentic understanding. Unlike machines, human beings possess moral agency, the capacity for love, self-sacrifice, and a spiritual depth that no algorithm can emulate.
The text responds to what Pope Francis has called an “epochal change,” as AI reshapes education, work, medicine, communication, and even warfare. It affirms that AI, when responsibly used, can promote human flourishing and the common good. However, the Church raises alarms about a number of risks, including the deepening of social inequalities, the erosion of trust through misinformation and deepfakes, and the potential misuse of AI in autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.
A central concern is the growing temptation to equate human worth with productivity or technical ability. “Drawing an overly close equivalence between human intelligence and AI risks succumbing to a functionalist perspective,” the document warns. “A person’s worth does not depend on skills, cognitive achievements, or individual success, but on the person’s inherent dignity.”
The document offers clear guidance for developers, regulators, educators, and users of AI. It calls for transparent accountability, ethical guardrails, and the promotion of technologies that enhance — rather than replace — human relationships and responsibility. In education, AI should support, not supplant, the teacher-student relationship. In healthcare, it must never reduce patients to data points or substitute the compassionate presence of caregivers.
On the global stage, the Vatican also urges international cooperation to regulate AI in ways that prevent its weaponization, exploitation, or dehumanization. It strongly opposes the development of lethal autonomous weapons and warns against any technological progress that undermines peace, justice, or the sanctity of life.
Perhaps most strikingly, “Antiqua et Nova” closes with a spiritual appeal: to seek not just data or utility, but true wisdom — “a wisdom of the heart” — that recognizes the divine image in every human being. In an era increasingly defined by automation and simulation, the Church calls on humanity to deepen its understanding of what it truly means to be human.
“Only the human person can be morally responsible,” the text concludes. “AI should be guided by human intelligence — not the other way around.”
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