With the summer holidays approaching when many of us will, God willing, have more opportunities to spend time with family and friends, this seems a fitting moment to reflect on the importance of our human relationships and on the role that technological innovations such as social media and artificial intelligence play in our lives.
Technology is now woven into almost every aspect of our daily routines. It helps us communicate across continents, stay connected with loved ones, learn new skills and work more effectively. Yet Pope Leo invites us to ask a deeper question: are these technologies helping us to flourish as human beings?
As he writes,
Pope Leo is not calling us to reject technological progress. Nor is he suggesting that we should turn away from social media, smartphones or AI, all of which have become integral to modern life. Instead, he warns us against allowing technology to shape our lives in ways that diminish our humanity or weaken our relationships with one another.
One of the most thought-provoking sections of the encyclical concerns artificial intelligence. Pope Leo reminds us that we should “avoid the misconception of equating [artificial] ‘intelligence’ with that of human beings.” He continues by observing that artificial intelligences “do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean.”
This distinction is important. AI can process information at remarkable speed, but it cannot love, forgive, comfort, sacrifice or accompany another person through life’s joys and sorrows. These are uniquely human gifts. Technology can assist us, but it can never replace the relationships through which we grow, learn and discover our true dignity.
The Central Role of Schools
In a wonderful section of the encyclical entitled The Central Role of Schools, Pope Leo highlights the importance of places where young people can encounter one another in person. Schools, he says, are places where we:
He adds that schools are not called to follow the pace of the digital world, but rather to offer what the digital sphere cannot provide: “a shared time for learning and developing trustworthy relationships.”
That insight extends far beyond schools. Families, parishes, workplaces and communities all thrive when people meet face-to-face, listen attentively, and build bonds of trust. Technology is at its best when it strengthens these relationships rather than replacing them. A video call can connect distant relatives; a message can encourage a friend; AI can save time and support our work. But these tools should always remain servants of human connection, never substitutes for it.
Our Calling
How, then, can we become more human and more fraternal? Pope Leo’s answer is both simple and challenging. We are called to build a “civilization of love”, one that:
Or, as St Mother Teresa of Calcutta famously put it, by doing “small things with great love.”
During the forthcoming holidays, perhaps we can take some time to reflect on our use of social media, AI and other technologies. Are they helping us to become more attentive, compassionate and present to one another? Are they strengthening our relationships with family and friends? Above all, are we ensuring that technology serves people, particularly the poor, rather than allowing people to serve technology?
In the end, the measure of any innovation is not simply what it can do, but whether it helps us to love one another more deeply and to recognise the intrinsic, authentic and never artificial God-given dignity of every person.
