A diverse collective of University of Scranton faculty and staff recently gathered to discuss the increasing influence of artificial intelligence, with Pope Leo XIV\u2019s encyclical letter as a focal point.<\/p>\n
The Jesuit Center at the University\u00a0led a reading group examining \u201cMagnifica\u00a0humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence\u201d on Aug. 28.\u00a0The encyclical, published in May 2026,\u00a0is divided into five chapters and\u00a0includes the pope\u2019s appeal for accountability in the development process of AI.<\/p>\n
According to\u00a0Tim Dulle\u00a0Jr., Ph.D., executive director of the Jesuit Center, 44\u00a0faculty and staff\u00a0signed up\u00a0for the reading\u00a0with an\u00a0additional\u00a0waiting list.\u00a0Because of the high demand, participants were split into\u00a0separate discussion\u00a0groups\u00a0held simultaneously in Brennan Hall\u2019s Casey Conference Room and the Slattery Center.\u00a0Both groups will meet again on Sept. 14.<\/p>\n
The encyclical and its contents were of particular interest to the Jesuit Center, whose mission is to\u00a0assist\u00a0the University \u201cin keeping its Catholic and Jesuit character at the center of the educational enterprise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u00a0was\u00a0so much energy around the first American pope, so, when they were releasing ‘Magnifica humanitas,’ I thought, \u2018We\u00a0have to\u00a0do something\u00a0on this. This is right in our\u00a0wheelhouse,\u2019\u201d Dr. Dulle said. \u201cWe are dealing with what it means to be people in the age of AI. We are trying to teach students to be responsible in the age of AI.\u201d<\/p>\n
Members in attendance at Brennan Hall\u00a0began by watching a short video accompanying\u00a0the letter\u2019s release, which encouraged viewers to \u201cbreak the chains of digital slavery.\u201d They reflected on the first three chapters of the document with the campus\u00a0community\u00a0in mind, pointing out students and faculty\u00a0have expressed varying\u00a0viewpoints on\u00a0the applications and usefulness of AI.<\/p>\n
Some\u00a0emphasized\u00a0the importance of critical\u00a0thinking, and\u00a0expressed concern the pope’s outline didn’t address its decline in greater detail.\u00a0Others pondered whether further development of AI could take\u00a0away\u00a0the dignity of the individual\u00a0and create wider technological divides within communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was really useful to contextualize these current technological changes with Catholic social teaching, and how people and faculty at a Jesuit university should think about that and incorporate it into our everyday work,\u201d said\u00a0Adam Pratt, Ph.D., chair of the History Department.<\/p>\n
Dr. Dulle\u00a0ultimately\u00a0characterizes\u00a0the encyclical as a conversation starter more than a full-on\u00a0critique or attack on AI, but it leaves plenty of room for debate and engagement.\u00a0The letter\u00a0includes multiple uses of words such as \u201ccriteria\u201d and \u201cfoundations,\u201d suggesting the pope is encouraging wider dialogue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe news\u00a0headlines\u00a0really framed\u00a0this\u00a0as the pope vs. big tech,\u201d Dr. Dulle said. \u201cAnd I think to frame it like that says more about what people think about big tech than it does about the encyclical.\u201d<\/p>\n