Artificial Intelligence: Fr. Casalone at the USG Assembly — “Technology is not neutral and shapes our way of thinking”

"Technology has never been—and even less so today—a simple collection of tools, but rather a mental, cultural, and spiritual environment." This was stated by Jesuit Fr. Carlo Casalone during his address on "Artificial Intelligence and Social Media: Anthropological and Spiritual Impacts on Prayer," delivered today at the Assembly of Major Superiors in Sacrofano. Fr. Casalone recalled that we live in an "infosphere," "the air we breathe," which "structures our way of thinking and believing." He then cited "the first sermon delivered by an artificial intelligence" in Fürth in 2023 and "the installation of a digital Jesus in a church in Lucerne" as signs of an "ecosystem" in which it is no longer possible "to simply use technical means to communicate a message." The Jesuit explained that the Synod "has set up a working group on mission in the digital world," recognizing that technology "is not neutral" and "affects our desires and our worldviews." He posed the question: "How does the world in which we pray change, and how do those who pray in this world change?" He invited listeners to discern "what happens to the soul when it 'passes through' the machine," and to avoid allowing "the spiritual brain to become dependent on the mechanical one." Finally, Fr. Casalone urged reflection on "what kind of humanity will emerge from people whose way of thinking is undergoing transformation."

                                                                                                  Article by Riccardo Benotti (SIR News Agency)