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Deidentified
Professor Hydinger
THEO 101 SECT.#
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Artificial Intelligence Theological Inquiry

Technology has been exponentially increasing ever since the earliest tools were created in

the stone age. From cars to conveyer belts to computers, creativity and innovation have offered

us many opportunities to benefit from. Perhaps one of the most intriguing forms of technology

would be the use of artificial intelligence (AI), which has been around for less than a century.

American computer scientist John McCarthy officially defined artificial intelligence in a 2004

paper as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent

computer programs” (“What Is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?”). The ability for machines to operate

on their own and think for themselves is fascinating, but advanced technology has several ethical

components that must be evaluated before being used. This theological inquiry will develop a

better understanding of what artificial intelligence is, the Catholic Church’s stance on AI, how

the movie “WALL-E” expresses the topic, and my personal position.

Artificial intelligence has a wide variety of uses, from identifying patterns to processing

large amounts of data. For someone to understand AI, they need to know what strong and weak

AI is, and the difference between machine learning and deep learning. In a short summary, strong

AI can solve problems without much instruction, like humans, and weak AI functions with

narrowly defined problems. Weak AI can perform specific tasks, and is present in search engines,

self-driving cars, and in smart assistants like Siri. On the other hand, strong AI is too advanced
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and does not yet exist. Machine and deep learning algorithms fall under the category of weak AI.

Machine learning algorithms are fed information for a specific outcome, and deep learning

algorithms have a specifically designed network architecture to make deep connections and

evaluate the best result (Schroer). This information about artificial intelligence is important to

keep in mind, because many of the applications AI is used for today require these types of

learning.

The issue with artificial intelligence arises in its applications. The ethical dilemmas range

from self-driving cars to the use of Chat GPT on homework and exams. According to the

Harvard Gazette, the software should be used to offer a more objective way of solving issues

without prejudice or bias, however, after evaluating the algorithms, the outputs replicate biases

that already currently exist. In addition to equity, other ethical concerns arise, such as privacy,

judgment, and cheating. The Gazette expands on the idea of having specific requirements

businesses must follow to prevent misuse of the program. The article states “companies that

develop or use AI systems largely self-police, relying on existing laws and market forces”

(Pazzanese). Without anything to keep companies in line, the possibilities are endless for what

they can do with AI. However, the question remains, how do we determine the rules and

regulations for large companies and government usage of AI, and who is to decide them? Many

scientists and engineers who focused on researching AI turned to the Catholic Church for a better

perspective on ethics concerning artificial intelligence.

God created us in His image with the gift of intelligence. It is our responsibility to use our

intelligence for good and for our individual expression of God. The creation of artificial

intelligence might be a catalyst for new technology in the 21st century, but the ethical concerns of

privacy and cheating might lead to setbacks. The Catholic Church offers suggestions for the next
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steps in determining the proper use for AI. In January of 2023, Pope Francis wrote a letter

addressing the issue of artificial intelligence. He writes “We must therefore be vigilant and work

to ensure that the discriminatory use of these instruments does not take root at the expense of the

most fragile and excluded” (Pope Francis). The growing AI technology can be used for good, but

only for good, and must not be discriminative or exclusive. The possible misuse of such

technology, for example, the life of a prisoner being decided by an algorithm, should not be

considered when using AI. For us to collaborate with this modern technology, we must use the

software and its algorithms ethically to promote the most beneficial outcomes.

Pope Francis also addresses concerns relative to artificial intelligence in his book

Laudato Si’, an encyclical letter which addresses a variety of contemporary issues. The Pope

highlights both the creativity and innovation involving technology in Chapter 3. The Pope writes

“It is right to rejoice in these advances and to be excited by the immense possibilities which they

continue to open up before us” (Pope Francis). We cannot forget about the engineering marvels

developed by scientists or researchers which allow us to advance throughout the centuries. The

very gift of science was a product of human creativity from God Himself, which we are to

cherish and use to our benefit.

In addition to creativity, modern technology like artificial intelligence has given us

immense power. Pope Francis expands on this idea later in Chapter 3 of Laudato Si’. The Pope

elaborates “Never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be

used wisely, particularly when we consider how it is currently being used” (Pope Francis). Major

technological advances have proven to be misused throughout history. In World War II, for

example, countries used nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, which resulted in damage to the
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environment and great casualties. Since then, technology has become so advanced that it is

unknown how it will be used.

Pope Francis, on behalf of the Catholic Church, allows us to see the Church’s position on the

modern issue of Artificial Intelligence and the possible uses which go along with it. The

incredible technology can be used to benefit humanity but must not go so far as to cause

prejudice and become exclusive to certain groups of people. The technology must also not be

used in ways that are unethical, like using algorithms to determine court cases. It is important to

be mindful of these things when considering the ethics of artificial intelligence in the modern

day.

To extend on the views of the Catholic Church, another reliable source to gain another

theological perspective on this issue is Robert C. Neville’s A Theology Primer. The Primer takes

complicated theological issues and reframes them in an organized manner to clearly elaborate on

each of the topics. A particular topic that stood out to the ethical issue of artificial intelligence is

chapter 3, God the Creator. The chapter highlights the idea of “harmony,” or the relationship

between essential and conditional features. Essential features are the individual features

something has, and its conditional features relate it to other things by virtue of which it is

different. Neville writes “A thing is no more its essential components than its conditional ones,

nor vice versa. Both conditional and essential features are necessary” (Neville 32). This principle

can be directly applied to the idea of artificial intelligence. AI, by itself, is a simple algorithm

waiting to be given a command. It does not cause harm on its own, but instead in its application.

But without AI, we might not have the answers or solutions to many problems like self-driving

cars. The principle of harmony allows us to see the importance of this technology, but also be

aware of the potential ethical issues. While artificial intelligence can be powerful and sometimes
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used unethically, it is important to value its creation and understand its place in modern

technology.

In addition to the views of the Pope and A Theology Primer, the ethics surrounding artificial

intelligence poses a great influence throughout contemporary art. A variety of science fiction

films star artificial intelligence as a character, such as C-3PO from Star Wars or J.A.R.V.I.S.

from Marvel Studios’ Iron Man. Another remarkable movie which has a centered focus on

characters with artificial intelligence would be the popular Disney Pixar movie “WALL-E.” The

movie was released in June 2008, and took place during the 29th century, when Earth has been

neglected by humans and has been covered with trash. Humans have fled Earth on the starship

Axiom, leaving trash-compacting robots to finish cleaning up the mess. WALL-E, the last of the

trash-compacting robots, begins to develop “sentience,” or the ability to express feelings and

emotions. During the movie, a probe EVE is sent to Earth to search for plant life, which he

quickly runs into and falls in love (Stanton). Throughout the film, we can see the sentience of

both WALL-E and EVE, as well as other robots along the Axiom. While we currently do not

have artificial intelligence which has sentience, the movie WALL-E can be used to foreshadow

the possibilities with AI and robotics.

The movie WALL-E perfectly expresses a future where we depend on artificial intelligence

and technology. However, the movie also depicts an underlying theological theme which can be

understood from conditional sin. God created the world so we can flourish and take

responsibility of it, however, WALL-E demonstrates the destruction of the Earth and our reliance

on technology to save us. Sentience in humans and robots are flipped and soon the AI-generated

robots have had more consciousness than the automatic people onboard the Axiom. The lack of
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Piety for nature and humans allows us to see what a future might look like with artificial

intelligence, and what we should avoid when using this technology.

While there are many reasons to be cautious about the use of artificial intelligence, WALL-E

has a way of gracefully depicting the possibilities of AI and technology in our lives. The ability

to use robots to clean up waste or detect plant life can help us improve our world and show more

piety in nature. Using artificial intelligence and robotics to our benefit and embracing God’s

creations allow us to see the beauty in His nature without destroying it.

After having a better understanding of artificial intelligence, the perspective of the Catholic

Church, and evaluating how the movie WALL-E expresses the topic, we can see both the

importance of AI and the ethical issues around it. I believe it is important to acknowledge the

beauty of the creation itself, and the people who developed the algorithms. Nevertheless, AI has

potential to be very powerful, and we must be responsible when assigning important information

and tasks. The prejudice nature is already present in algorithms currently used by the government

and large businesses. We must determine a way to closely monitor the way AI is used, and I think

evaluating the Catholic Church’s position on AI can act as a guide to solving its ethical

dilemmas. Invading the privacy of individuals, biased programming, and limited regulation are

all things we must be cautious of when using artificial intelligence, but I think we can use AI to

help us express God’s creation and to help humanity for the better.

While there are a variety of problems today that pose difficult ethical issues, it is

important to keep in mind that God created everything with purpose and reason. Some might

argue artificial intelligence is a curse rather than a gift, but regardless, it has its purpose and can

be used for good. Like Pope Francis mentions, if AI is accessible to all and is used in the most

wise and moral manner, we can prevent the ethical dilemmas surrounding it. The key is how to
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prevent unethical and discriminative use of AI, and how to regulate it. Despite the disputes about

AI in self-driving cars, legal court cases, and even sentient robots in the future, it is important to

acknowledge the amazing advancements AI has allowed us to achieve. From digital assistance to

healthcare to automation, we might not be able to live in a work without it. Artificial intelligence

and its harmony in God’s creation is truly a fascinating part of technology, and when used right,

can prove to benefit society more than it does harm.

Works Cited

Neville, Robert C. A Theology Primer. Albany, State University of New York Press, 1991.

Pazzanese, Christina. “Great Promise but Potential for Peril.” Harvard Gazette, 26 Oct. 2020,
news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/10/ethical-concerns-mount-as-ai-takes-bigger-
decision-making-role/.

Pope Francis. “Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our
Common Home” The Holy See, 24 May 2015,
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-
francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.

Pope Francis. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the “Rome Call” Meeting
Promoted by the Renaissance Foundation” The Holy See, 10 January 2023,
www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/january/documents/20230110-
incontro-romecall.html.

Schroer, Alyssa. “Artificial Intelligence.” Artificial Intelligence (AI): What Is AI and How Does
It Work? | Built In, 27 July 2023, builtin.com/artificial-intelligence.

Stanton, Andrew, et al. WALL-E. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2008.

“What Is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?” IBM, www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence.