June 14, 2026 Essay: Making a Truly Magnificent Humanity
“I address this heartfelt appeal to all the Catholic faithful, to all Christians and to all men and women of goodwill. Let us not be afraid to get our hands dirty on the “construction site” of our time. Like Nehemiah, let us pray, plan wisely and work perseveringly, placing God at the forefront of our actions and the human person at the center of our choices. Thus, the “rejected stones” — the poor, the sick, the migrants and the least among us — will become the cornerstone, and a solid, welcoming common home will emerge on the earth, where love and faithfulness will finally meet, and righteousness and peace will embrace (cf. Ps 85:10). This is the blessing we implore from God; and the task that stands before us is that of being builders of communion, rather than architects of Babel…I ask everyone to abandon the construction of yet another Tower of Babel and to join forces in building up the common good, so that humanity will never lose its beauty, and the world once again will come to recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell.” #16
This beautiful quotation from Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, offers us a rich reflection on how we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, are called to respond to the revolutionary changes occurring in society today as a result of artificial intelligence.
Who was Nehemiah? When the Israelites returned to their homeland after their long exile in Babylon, they faced the daunting challenge of physically rebuilding all that they had lost. Nehemiah was appointed governor of Judea, in which the once great city of Jerusalem was located. He recognized the urgency of rebuilding Jerusalem, but also the importance of doing so within the framework of his people’s Jewish faith and traditions. Working with the priest, Ezra, he initiated sweeping social and religious reforms in which the poor were lifted up, and the people were called to live in fidelity to God and the ways of God.
In light of the rapid changes occurring as the result of artificial intelligence, Pope Leo is calling for leaders as wise as Nehemiah who recognized that a strong and lasting state could only be built on the foundation of a moral order; an order in which the dignity of all persons was respected and protected. We cannot allow artificial intelligence to develop and assume greater dominance in all aspects of society without ensuring that it is developed within a moral framework and used within a moral framework.
What is critical to a proper moral framework for the development and use of artificial intelligence is the primacy of the human person, and the recognition of the dignity of every human person. Is the primary focus of the development of artificial intelligence the displacement of the human person and the minimization of critical human reasoning? How does society ensure that the human person is not lost in the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence? How do we ensure that those whom society already neglects are not further marginalized by the development and use of artificial intelligence?
Will artificial intelligence become our ‘tower of Babel’? Our ancestors in the bible became enamored of their wisdom. They sought to build a tower into the heavens that would display their mastery of earth and heaven. Instead, it became their downfall as they were scattered across the earth and found themselves divided and in conflict. Is the current trajectory of the development and deployment of artificial intelligence leading us to the same ruin that befell our ancestors? Can we alter that trajectory so that artificial intelligence will serve to unite the human family in the common purpose of creating a world in which every human person can truly flourish? Altering the trajectory of artificial intelligence is our job as persons of faith.
— Rev. Mark Hallinan, S.J., Associate Pastor