Writing for April by Andrew Hamilton SJ
Fr Andrew Hamilton SJ is consulting editor of Eureka Street and editorial consultant at Jesuit Communications.
Much discussion of technology centres on the threats it poses. They are real. We have already seen the effect of Artificial Intelligence on employment and its threat to creative writing and singing by churning out technically good but bland songs and articles. It also allows he spread of prejudiced comment. The threat to human living which is posed by altering genes and the treatment of human sadness and lack of meaning as illnesses to be dealt with pharmaceutically receive less attention, but are equally concerning. The domination of technologies by extremely wealthy individuals and corporations, associated with the attitude that all exploitation of technology change is desirable or uncheckable, also adds to the anxiety about new technologies. They can be seen as demonic and uncontrollable.
Pope Francis acknowledges the risks but focuses on how new technologies can benefit humanity. He sees them as an extension of human intelligence and skills. They can be used to benefit humanity as well as posing risks to it. He insists that the future of humanity lies in our own hands and not in the impersonal and uncontrollable growth of technology. His prayer is realistic but also hopeful.
The key question to ask about the use of technology is whether it respects the dignity of the human person. It does so if in it we recognise that each person is precious, is the centre of their own life, and relies on others to flourish. Technological change must respect persons and their relationships to one another and to their environment. It can promote the flourishing of human beings or can hinder it.
Respect for persons demands that technologies of mass communication must respect truth and foster cooperation, not contempt or hatred. Businesses that lay off workers because of developments in technology, too, must support their workers and treat them as persons and not as a cost. Working conditions must not be controlled by profit but by enabling human growth through relationships with others. People are not machines, still less poor substitutes for machines.
Pope Francis also insists that new technology should also meet the needs of our times. They must take account of the common good and not simply be introduced unthinkingly or only with an eye on its profitability. It must, for example address the greatest threat to the dignity of human beings around the world – that posed by global warming. The growth of AI relies on enormous power with its resultant emissions. This may entail a corresponding growth in power stations and consequently more reliance on the use of fossil fuels whose effect on global warming and on the life of our descendants will be incalculable.
As so often in his requests for prayers Pope Francis focuses on good relationships. We must find ways of living, of working, and of communicating that build strong communities and social cohesion. Technology itself is impersonal, but it can be used in ways that enrich human relationships. This means reshaping patterns of work so that human beings are respected as persons and not simply as inferior parts of a productive machine. This will require regulation and planning. It will also mean encouraging the building of small local communities, seeing workplaces as places of human growth and not simply of production, and thinking in terms of relationships. Technology will not be used to monitor every movement of workers but to install more attractive lunchrooms shared by investors, managers and workers.