As the world mourns Pope Francis, who died yesterday at 88 after a lengthy struggle with respiratory illness, it’s worth revisiting the January 2025 Vatican Note “Antiqua et Nova” on artificial intelligence.
This landmark document established a robust Catholic framework for understanding AI that now stands as part of Francis’ intellectual legacy. Its timing—released just weeks before his final hospitalization—takes on added significance as the world reflects on his papacy.
The Vatican’s central argument in “Antiqua et Nova” couldn’t be more aligned with America’s strategic imperative: artificial intelligence must remain fundamentally human-centered. Where the Note draws a theological line between human intelligence (as part of the imago Dei) and machine function, America’s approach must similarly distinguish between technology as a tool and technology as an end in itself.
Francis’ insistence that AI must be “ethically grounded, transparent, accountable” provides a values framework that transcends religious boundaries—one that speaks directly to America’s need for AI systems free from ideological bias or authoritarian strictures. Just as the Vatican rejected functionalism that reduces human value to productivity, American AI development must similarly recognize the primacy of the individual and our liberties.
As the AI race with China accelerates, operating within this ethical framework plays to America’s competitive strengths. While Chinese AI development remains embedded within authoritarian control structures, Western firms adopting a human-centered approach unlock innovation precisely because they build with and for human flourishing.
Francis’ legacy now includes this clear call: technology must serve human dignity, not eclipse it. America’s technological leadership, if guided by similar principles, can achieve dominance precisely because it empowers rather than diminishes the human person.
