Although the topic is ubiquitous and crucial, I was surprised that the Holy See published Antiqua et Nova, Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence. We often perceive technology, and therefore AI, as something far removed from the Church and religion. However, through this document, issued by the two Dicasteries that drafted it (the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education), the Pope wants to tell us that he follows technological development carefully and cares about our relationship with technologies. The digital world today is an important dimension of human experience. The Church does not shy away from judgment and invites us to do the same.

I perceived the Pope’s attention towards this matter an act of charity toward me, an important aid in keeping my eyes focused on certain ‘fixed stars’ in my work as a teacher and researcher. It is also a call to responsibility for everyone, as the Pope “invites those entrusted with transmitting the faith—including parents, teachers, pastors, and bishops—to dedicate themselves to this critical subject with care and attention” (5).

This call is all the stronger the more it contrasts with the primary directions research is taking. The focus is on making AI systems increasingly high-performing and efficient, overcoming user skepticism and obstacles to widespread use, and making these tools profitable. However, there is little concern for how AI changes our relationship with reality, with ourselves, and with God.

Antiqua et Nova, with great clarity, calls us back to the basics, particularly the ontological difference between humans and the machine, a distinction blurred by the ambiguous use of the word intelligence. “In the case of humans, intelligence is a faculty that pertains to the person in his or her entirety, whereas in the context of AI, “intelligence” is understood functionally, often with the presumption that the activities characteristic of the human mind can be broken down into digitized steps that machines can replicate” (10). Instead, “human intelligence is not primarily about completing functional tasks but about understanding and actively engaging with reality in all its dimensions; it is also capable of surprising insights” (33).

However, this is not an a priori statement, but the beginning of a path that draws on the rich tradition of Western philosophical thought, which today perhaps needs to be rediscovered and brought into dialogue with the most recent discoveries in psychology, cognitive sciences, and even computer science. For example, we must not forget that our minds are capable of intuiting and embracing the truth – categories that cannot be applied to AI. “Intellectus refers to the intuitive grasp of the truth—that is, apprehending it with the “eyes” of the mind—which precedes and grounds argumentation itself. Ratio pertains to reasoning proper: the discursive, analytical process that leads to judgment” (14).

For those involved in education, Antiqua et Nova proposes a basic opening: “If used in a prudent manner, within the context of an existing teacher-student relationship and ordered to the authentic goals of education, AI can become a valuable educational resource” (80). It is good to remember that, in the language of the virtues, prudence does not mean avoiding risks , but rather carefully considering all factors of a situation with awareness and without prejudice – including teaching and educational settings.

How should we proceed? I found three interesting insights that, if taken seriously, can revitalize educational work beyond the challenges posed by AI today. The underlying framework is an integral education: “An essential part of education is forming ‘the intellect to reason well in all matters, to reach out towards truth, and to grasp it,’ while helping the ‘language of the head’ to grow harmoniously with the ‘language of the heart’ and the “language of the hands” (81).

The first insight is about body and matter, namely to remember that “in the human person, spirit and matter ‘are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature’” (16), and that “the human spirit does not exercise its normal mode of knowledge without the body” (17). The unstoppable advance of digital technologies should prompt us to reclaim the physical dimension of our existence, to propose educational pathways that do not only engage the mind, but also the body: the senses, spaces, materials, practical skills.

The second insight concerns relationships and encounters, “since human intelligence is expressed and enriched also in interpersonal and embodied ways, authentic and spontaneous encounters with others are indispensable for engaging with reality in its fullness” (58). Genuine encounters do happen and cannot be programmed, but schools and other educational settings can become places where these encounters happen more easily. Teachers and educators are called to live their profession in every moment open to the risk of an encounter that could be a game changer.

The third insight builds on the idea, in technology, we somehow look at ourselves in the mirror, and this can sometimes pose risks. “Drawing an overly close equivalence between human intelligence and AI risks succumbing to a functionalist perspective, where people are valued based on the work they can perform” (34). This is clearly a great risk at school: it is easy for a pupil to think that their worth is measured by their grade or, even worse, feel inadequate compared to a machine that, in some respects, is inexorably ‘stronger’ than they are. The document then quotes Georges Bernanos who, prophetically, warned that 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” (112).

In times of rapid change, faced with technologies that so often catch us by surprise, it is a grace to have the wise voice of the Church beside us, reminding us of our educational (and professional, each in their own sphere) responsibilities, accompanying us in rediscovering clarity in the aims and purposes of our actions and cultural endeavours.