120 - Truth & Freedom Under Threat | Magnifica Humanitas Part 4

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And then in this episode, we are looking at chapter four. The focus of this chapter, as we've already said, is the effect of AI on those three key areas of truth, work, and freedom. So Pope Leo begins this chapter with a discussion of truth. And in particular, the ways that AI has influenced things like the spread of disinformation online, and our capacity to seek and comprehend truth, as well as the education system. So he opens this discussion of truth with a discussion of disinformation. He writes, "Disinformation did not begin with AI, yet today it finds a powerful amplifier in AI." So in other words, he's saying that AI didn't invent deception, human beings have always been capable of lying, but AI has dramatically increased our capacity to deceive on a large scale and to spread disinformation very convincingly through the use of things like deep fakes and fabricated images and videos. So AI can clone people's voices and likenesses and it can produce massive amounts of very compelling and persuasive content and information in seconds. Now not only has AI amplified the spread of disinformation online, it has also made it easier to suppress the spread of other ideas online. So Pope Leo points out that companies that own social media platforms and other digital technologies exercise significant influence over what people see and what remains hidden. So even if information isn't fabricated, it might be true, it can still be selectively distributed and shared and certain narratives or ideas can be more easily pushed and others suppressed through the use of algorithms. Now, this doesn't mean that everything that we see online is false, but it does mean that today we can't just assume that we are getting the full picture or that we're getting the truth when we read something online, for example, on social media. Now, the last thing that Pope Leo points out is that the information that AI systems share with us, so things like ChatGPT and Claude and like the Google AI summary, that information that we get through those platforms is to some degree going to be biased, right? Because these systems inevitably reflect the assumptions and the priorities and the limitations of the people that shaped them. And the problem there is that very often these systems give the impression of objectivity. So we might feel as though we're receiving a neutral or objective answer, we're getting the truth, but that isn't necessarily the case. Now, all of these issues, so the spread of disinformation, the selective distribution of ideas through algorithms and the hidden biases of AI systems. These things all really matter because they influence not just our behaviours online, but also the way that we think and act in the real world. So Pope Leo reminds us that the online world is, quote, "not a parallel or purely virtual world", since what originates online now becomes a part of people's lives, especially of the youngest. So in other words, he's saying that the digital world isn't just separate from the real world. Increasingly, it bleeds into the real world, it shapes the ways that we think and the relationships that we form and the decisions that we make and even how we understand ourselves. And this is particularly true of young people who might be spending a lot of time online. So the fact that information can be so easily fabricated or manipulated is kind of a big deal. Now Pope Leo argues that one of the reasons why this is happening, why disinformation and bias and manipulation is occurring with greater frequency today, is because there is this underlying belief, which he refers to as a sickness that exists in many parts of the world. He writes, "Modern man is wrongly convinced that he is the sole author of himself, his life and society. People believe that they can construct reality and that whatever best suits their claims corresponds to what is true." So here he's referring to a kind of relativism, a belief that truth is not something objective, it's not something that I discover or that I receive, but instead it is something subjective that I construct. Not only is truth subjective, but reality itself, my reality is constructed. I'm the author of my own identity, my own meaning, and ultimately my own reality. So if I'm the author of my own reality, then that changes the way that I interact with information online. It changes the kinds of questions that I'm going to be asking myself when I see or when I share information online. I won't necessarily be asking the question, "Is this objectively true?" But instead I might be asking, "Well, do I agree with this? Does this align with my way of thinking?" Now this kind of relativism, this social sickness, it's not new. It's been developing for a very long time. However, when we combine it with the possibilities of AI, then we face pretty significant dangers. Because AI and algorithms make it so much easier to live in that relativistic way. They can reinforce and amplify the reality that we already live in, isolating us in our own bubble, our own version of the truth. They can generate images or stories that blur the lines between reality and fiction. They can minimize and even silence any voices that might challenge our perception of reality. So all of this encourages us, not necessarily to seek truth itself, but instead to seek and promote our own truths and our own constructed version of reality. Now, not only does AI encourage us to construct our own version of reality, but it also provides opportunities for people in positions of power to influence other people's perceptions of reality and to push their truth, their version of reality on other people. So Pope Leo writes that quote, "Those who command powerful technological and economic resources can influence a significant number of people concerning the truth about humanity, the world, the meaning of existence, the family and even God. This is pure power, detached from truth, which subtly or overtly imposes what it wishes others to accept as truth." So I think that's a pretty powerful comment that he's making. He's basically saying that there is a risk here and increasingly a reality that truth might become used as an instrument of power. So it becomes a tool for persuading and influencing and even controlling other people rather than something that is sought for its own sake, it's like people weaponizing truth. So okay, what do we do with all this? How do we respond to the increasing instability of truth in the online world? Well, Pope Leo's first answer is that we need to recover the conviction that quote, "Truth is a common good and not the property of those with power or influence." So in other words, we need to recover the belief that objective truth exists, that every human person has a right to seek it, and that no individual or institution has the right to manipulate or monopolize truth. for their own purposes. He also argues that we need much greater transparency in the way that digital information is created and selected and distributed. So in other words, people should be able to know they should be able to see where their information has come from, who has produced it and why it's being presented to them so that they can evaluate it critically rather than being pushed to just accept it at face value. Pope Leo also calls on us to strengthen and support "intermediary organizations" serious journalism and forums for debate. So what is an intermediary organization? Well, it's basically any institution that exists between families and individuals on one hand and then the state on the other. All of those institutions that exist in between. So for instance, things like schools or universities, churches, charities, professional associations, trade unions and local community organizations. Basically what Pope Leo is saying is that we need to strengthen these institutions and ensure that they remain places where claims can be openly examined, debated, challenged, tested and verified openly so that we don't just end up accepting ideas because an algorithm has placed them in front of us online. Finally, Pope Leo argues that we need to educate people to use digital technologies critically and responsibly, especially young people. We can't just hand them phones and expect them to know how to use them responsibly. We actually need to educate them and ourselves to develop a love for the truth, a belief in objective truth and a capacity to evaluate the claims that we see online rather than just accepting them. So the point about education then leads us naturally into the next major theme that Pope Leo discusses under this umbrella of truth, which is education. So he begins with the observation that the field of education, so he's talking here both about like institutional education, so colleges and schools and also informal education work within the family. Education is struggling to keep pace with the development of new technologies. He says that technology poses a threat to education in a few ways. First of all, it can dull our desire for truth and even our capacity to seek it. He writes that digital media fosters a culture of immediacy and hyper stimulation, which gives rise to fatigue, boredom and apathy concerning the effort required for seeking the truth. In other words, many students today, many young people are gradually losing their ability and their desire to wrestle with difficult questions or to conduct research that requires them to really go deep, to go beyond just a Google search or like a chat GPT prompt. Pope Leo argues that we need to counteract this by quote exercising restraint in the use of AI, especially with young people. So he's saying that when it comes to education, children need offline opportunities to think deeply, to struggle with ideas, to research, to reflect and to arrive at conclusions for themselves, rather than just instinctively outsourcing every question to artificial intelligence. He also highlights the dangers of giving children smartphones and allowing them to use them without appropriate supervision. He writes that giving a child a smartphone to young can quote exacerbate young people's vulnerabilities, foster addiction and expose them to isolation, bullying and cyber bullying, as well as to pressures to share intimate images or sensitive information. Now when it comes to limiting young people's access to phones and to AI, obviously parents have an incredibly important role to play. However, Pope Leo also makes the really important point that families cannot be expected to carry this burden alone. He writes, "It is difficult for parents by themselves to resist the influence of business models that monetize attention and time. Therefore, it is essential to form an alliance among policymakers, educational institutions and families that is capable of concretely supporting adults in this task." So in other words, governments and schools and families all need to work together because parents cannot be expected to single-handedly protect their children from these technologies that have been deliberately designed to encourage addiction. So you can imagine a situation where like parents are trying to influence or restrict a child's use of their phone at home, and then the kid goes to school and the school allows kids to have their phones and all of their friends have phones and social media and they are under this constant pressure to conform. It's like facing up to a tidal wave on your own. It's not possible. So Pope Leo suggests that practical measures need to be taken, such as "setting age limits, holding service providers accountable, rather than shifting the whole burden of control onto families, and providing specific protections against all forms of online sexual exploitation and violence." So basically, we need to build systems into these technologies themselves and then create kind of legislative changes that actually support parents in restricting their children's access to AI and to phones. Pope Leo then turns his attention to the institutional education system, so schools, colleges, universities, and he begins by arguing that governments have a responsibility to ensure that a good, rigorous education remains genuinely accessible to everyone because education is a fundamental human right. So making sure that education remains accessible means providing tangible financial support to public schools so that education doesn't just become something that is like a privilege of the wealthy. Pope Leo really emphasizes that it's the necessity of supporting public education. He also simultaneously acknowledges the importance and the role that private and Catholic schools can play in providing opportunities through, for instance, scholarships for students who might not otherwise have access to those schools. He then goes on to say that the curriculum also needs to meet the actual needs of students. He writes, "The advance of information technologies and AI is rapidly rendering curricula obsolete that were designed for a different era." So basically, he's highlighting the fact that much of the curriculum today is kind of not fit for purpose. In the past, education often focused heavily on memorizing information and wrote learning things because access to knowledge might be limited. But today, information is available almost instantly and is very easily accessible, so education can't just be about absorbing information anymore. Now, this doesn't mean that knowledge has become unimportant, but it does mean that education can't just be focused on transferring information. Instead, it has to be aimed at forming those skills in judgment and critical thinking wisdom, research skills, discernment, and love for truth. It has to shape students' capacities to evaluate information responsibly and to seek truth rather than just absorb information. But today, much of our education system is still built around teaching students to perform tasks that AI can already do, rather than equipping them with the skills that they will actually need to live and work alongside these technologies. So our methods of teaching and assessment, and even the ways that we form teachers all need to evolve. And if they don't, Pope Leo warns that we risk creating quote, an educational system lacking in a love for truth, in which an incessant flow of information replaces the essential exercise of research, reflection, and discernment. Now, in order to create that kind of education system, where we can reflect and discern and think deeply, Pope Leo says that we need, quote, rhythms that incorporate silence, in-depth study, reading, and judicious analysis. So screen-free times, periods of deep work, opportunities for in-depth research, time for reading and thinking quietly. Okay, so that is Pope Leo's discussion of truth. And then the next area he turns to is work. And he begins with an incredibly important reminder of why work is so important in the first place. He writes, "Work is not simply an instrument. It expresses and enhances the dignity of our lives. It is a requirement of the human condition, a normal path. toward maturity, development, and personal fulfillment. So in other words, he's saying that work is not just a way of making money. It's actually part of what it means to be human. It's one of the key ways that we mature and we contribute to society. We develop our gifts and discover meaning and purpose and build communities. However, in many places today, work is increasingly treated as simply a way of earning money and of getting things done efficiently. And if that is all work is, then why not just get a robot to do the job instead of a human person? So in a previous episode, we talked about this idea of the technocratic paradigm. So the tendency to place technology and efficiency in control at the center of society rather than keeping technology in the service of the human person. So Pope Leo applies this concept of the technocratic paradigm specifically to the area of work here. He says that today in the workforce, human beings are often forced to adapt to the pace and the demands of technology rather than technology supporting the work of human beings. He writes that current approaches to technology can paradoxically de-skill workers subject them to automated surveillance and relegate them to rigid and repetitive tasks. The need to keep the pace, keep up with the pace of technology, can erode workers' sense of agency and stifle the innovative abilities they are expected to bring to their work. So what he's saying here is that basically, when efficiency becomes the supreme value, then we can start to undermine those distinctly human qualities of creativity and freedom and initiative and capacity for growth and development that are all so important to human work. Human persons are expected to behave like machines and to keep pace with machines rather than machines enhancing human work and enhancing human creativity and innovation. Now, Pope Leo isn't opposed to using machines or AI in the workplace. He's not opposed to automating things where appropriate. In fact, he explicitly says, quote, "It is certainly desirable for technology "to relieve humans of arduous, repetitive, or dangerous tasks "and to provide intelligent support for human activity." So in other words, if technology can free people from dangerous or exhausting or repetitive labor, well, that's a good thing. The problem is when profit and efficiency become the key considerations that are driving the workforce, where machines are not being used to support human work, but instead they're being used to render humans obsolete. Pope Leo continues, quote, "The human person is an end, "not a means, and the economic order "must remain subordinate to human dignity "and the common good." So in other words, technology, yes, okay, it can replace some tasks where appropriate, but it should never replace the human person as the center of work. However, unfortunately, in many places, that is exactly what's happening. People are losing their jobs to AI, and Pope Leo writes that widespread unemployment as a result of AI displacing people's jobs or replacing people's jobs is a genuine, quote, "colamity." Now why is that the case? Why is widespread unemployment a calamity? Well, because it's not just that people need an income, although that is part of it, but the problem is also that unemployment can produce widespread, quote, "inactivity," a lack of responsibility, and the absence of daily tasks and stimuli resulting in human and cultural impoverishment. So basically work is one of those principal ways that human beings develop their talents and contribute to society and participate in culture. So if AI and machines eventually perform most of that human labor, Pope Leo warns that we may create, quote, "a paradox of material progress "and anthropological regression." So what's he saying? That we might face a situation where simultaneously, technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and our economies might be becoming wealthier, but at the same time, human beings themselves are becoming less capable and less creative and culturally poorer. So how do we solve this issue? Because it's true that in many places, people are losing their jobs to AI, and technology is in some areas replacing human work. Well, Pope Leo recognizes that there isn't a single solution that is gonna work everywhere. He writes that no single model of change or universal solution exists since there are places and situations that require different responses. But he does insist that, quote, "solutions must be sought "at a national and local levels "through the involvement of intermediary communities." So in other words, different societies will need different approaches, but however the problem is addressed specifically, communities and local and national governments all need to work together to find ways for AI to work alongside human beings instead of displacing human beings altogether. Now this means, first of all, actively seeking ways to protect human work, to ensure that human jobs remain available. It also means educating and equipping workers so that they are able to use AI as a tool rather than being displaced by it. Okay, Pope Leo then moves on to another issue that falls under this umbrella of work, which is the distribution of wealth within the economy. He writes, "While the world's wealth has grown "in absolute terms, "it is increasingly concentrated in fewer hands, "widening inequalities both within and between countries." So basically, even though AI and new technologies are creating incredible wealth, that wealth is not necessarily being shared in ways that are just. So the challenge here is to ensure that AI doesn't simply continue to widen the gap between the rich and the poor, but instead it serves the common good genuinely and the flourishing of every person and not just a privileged few. So how do we do that? Well, Pope Leo suggests, quote, "tax systems "that lighten the burden on the weakest "and ask for more from those with greater resources." So a taxation system that is taxing the wealthy more than it is taxing the poor. But he also points out that economic justice isn't just about redistributing wealth after it's been created, right? So just a matter of making all the money and then thinking about how do we redistribute it through taxation. He also writes that it should influence every stage of economic life, from resource acquisition to financing and from production to consumption. So what's he saying there? Well, he's saying we shouldn't just maximize profit and then ask how to distribute it fairly afterwards. Instead, the entire economic system at every level should be ordered towards the common good from beginning to end. So what does that mean in practical terms? Well, it means asking questions like, were the raw materials for this product sourced ethically? Are workers being paid a just wage? Are they being given safe working conditions? Are the products that we are creating being designed to genuinely serve people rather than exploiting them? So that's Pope Leo's discussion of work. And then the final area that he considers is freedom. So he begins by discussing the ways that our interior freedom is increasingly being limited by addiction and the ways that digital technologies tend to exploit human weakness and kind of enslave our attention and suck up our time. He writes, those who design or finance such systems bear a moral responsibility that cannot be ignored. There is an urgent need to promote technologies that strengthen interior freedom by fostering education in digital sobriety and the protection of miners thus countering models that exploit vulnerability. So he's basically arguing that technology should not limit our interior freedom. Instead, it should be designed to strengthen our interior freedom. It should help us to become more capable of choosing the good rather than making us increasingly dependent on that technology. It's useful to bear in mind that addiction isn't something that is like inherent in technology. That is a design thing that has been built into it. It does not have to be there. These technologies do not have to be built to be addictive. They can actually be designed in ways that increase our freedom. So the people who design these systems have a moral responsibility to promote the freedom of their users. Pope Leo then turns to another person. significant threat to freedom, which is the way that data is collected and used, personal data. He writes, "When every action, movements, purchases, relationships, and preferences, leaves a trace, a new form of power emerges, namely the power to profile, predict, and influence behavior, often without individuals being fully aware of it." So in other words, when everything that we do online leaves behind a digital footprint, well, then over time, the data that we're generating can be used, not just to understand us, but also to predict our behaviors and even influence our behaviors. So Peplio also points out that our freedom isn't just influenced by what we're shown online, it's also influenced by what we are not shown by what remains hidden or is buried by the algorithm. So if some information is being suppressed, and other information is being amplified, well, that can obviously affect our freedom, because we might not actually have access to the whole picture, which means that we can't make free informed decisions. Peplio then turns to another kind of more hidden aspect of human freedom within the digital economy, which is the exploitation of workers, the people who actually make AI possible. He writes, "A significant part of the digital economy's functioning relies on the silent work of millions of people engaged in essential, yet largely unseen, activities such as data labeling, model training, and content moderation, often involving disturbing material. In many cases, these workers are young people, predominantly women, working under demanding conditions for minimal wages. So it's really easy to forget that AI does not just appear out of nowhere. There are countless human beings who are carrying out repetitive, emotionally demanding, and often poorly paid work behind the scenes. And their work is what is making these systems possible. Not only that, but the ways in which resources are obtained to power AI are also often exploitative. So, Pope Leo writes, "In some regions of the world, children and adolescents work in dangerous conditions, crushing the materials from which rare earth elements are extracted. The bodies of these people are scarred, injured, and worn down, so that computational flow may continue uninterruptedly." That's a pretty confronting image, and it's an important reminder that digital technologies, again, it's not magic. They depend on physical labor and physical resources and very real human suffering. Finally, Pope Leo discusses the way that human trafficking can be facilitated online through, quote, "platforms, messaging systems, anonymous payment methods, and profiling techniques." So all of these examples, he argues, are attacks on human dignity. And he writes that, "This reality deeply challenges the moral conscience of our time." In other words, he's saying that these are not problems that we can just ignore. They are moral questions, and they should trouble our consciences, and they should influence the ways and the extent to which we use AI. Now, the final issue that Pope Leo raises in terms of freedom is the issue of what he calls "new forms of colonialism." He writes that, quote, "health data, epidemiological profiles, genetic maps, and demographic information, have become the new rare earths of power." So what does he mean there? Well, basically, historically, colonial powers would go into poor nations and extract and take valuable natural resources, right? So gold and spices and minerals. Well, today, Pope Leo is warning that data itself has actually become a similar kind of resource that can be extracted and exploited. So information about people's health and genetics and populations, it all has incredible, like, economic and political value. And the danger is that wealthier countries or powerful corporations might go in and extract that data from more vulnerable nations and then build valuable technologies from it and make a lot of money from that information and then leave the people who generated that data with very little control over how it's actually being used or who is benefiting from it. So how does Pope Leo propose that we respond to these issues around freedom? Well, one theme that he returns to here is transparency. This is a theme that he comes back to over and over again in this encyclical. He argues that greater transparency will ensure, quote, "that no competitive advantage is built upon hidden exploitation." So in other words, companies should never become more profitable just because they are exploiting people. And that exploitation, that hidden exploitation is underpinning their success and it's hidden from public view. So we need transparency to see where the resources and the labor is coming from that is powering these technologies. He also argues that businesses and investors have a responsibility to build ethical safeguards directly into the ways that they operate. So they should, quote, "adopt clear criteria for preventative ethical verification, placing among their priorities the protection of workers, the fight against forced labor, and the assessment of the social impact of data-driven business models." So he's basically saying that ethical responsibility shouldn't be an afterthought, right? It should actually be embedded into processes. Companies should be actively thinking about the human consequences of their technologies before harm occurs and not just reacting and responding after exploitation has already taken place. Finally, Pope Leo argues that digital platforms need to work responsibly alongside governments and alongside the wider society to ensure that their technologies don't become places where victims of human trafficking are recruited and exploited and controlled. So working with governments to prevent the exploitation of humans online. Pope Leo closes the chapter by drawing together everything that he has said about truth and work and freedom. And he points out that underneath all of the issues across these three areas, there is one essential kind of deeper problem, which is the growth of this technocratic paradigm. He writes, "If technology becomes the ultimate criterion, the human person risks being reduced to data, a cog in a machine or a commodity. If, however, technology is integrated with a wise perspective, it can become an instrument of growth, justice, and fraternity. In other words, technology is a tool. And the real question here is how we use it, whether it remains in service of the human person or whether the human person gradually becomes subordinate to technology." So that's kind of the choice that Pope Leo places before us. And each of us can ask us that question, "Am I using technology to support my humanity or am I allowing it to replace my humanity?" And this is why the church continues to insist that every technological advance must ultimately serve this one purpose above everything else, which is the dignity and the flourishing of the human person. Great. So that is chapter four of Magnifico Humanitas. In chapter five, Pope Leo turns his attention to war, power, and love. I can't wait. Have a fantastic fortnight, and I will talk to you later. Carhartt's holiday gift guides were built in collaboration with the greatest gift giver of all time. Santa Claus himself. Old St. Nick counts on Carhartt's durable gear to have his back through rain, sleep, and snow on the biggest night of the year. Because when everyone's counting on you to do your job, what else would he wear to work? Tap the banner to grab a gift for every hard working person on your holiday shopping list or head to Carhartt.com.