What Does the Catholic Church Teach About the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence?

Brief Overview

• The Catholic Church recognizes that artificial intelligence presents both powerful opportunities for human growth and serious moral challenges that require careful thought and guidance.
• Catholic teaching holds that all technology must serve human dignity and the common good, never reducing people to mere tools or numbers.
• The Church teaches that humans, made in God’s image, must always maintain control over important decisions, especially those affecting life, death, and fundamental freedoms.
• Artificial intelligence raises questions about human work, meaning, and purpose that connect directly to Catholic understanding of how we should live as faithful people.
• Church leaders have stressed the need for clear rules and oversight to make sure artificial intelligence systems are built and used in ways that respect every person’s worth.
• Catholics are called to bring their values into conversations about technology so that society makes choices guided by faith, reason, and respect for human life.

Human Dignity and Technology

The foundation of Catholic teaching on artificial intelligence rests on one core truth: every human person has infinite worth because God made us in His image and likeness. This belief shapes how the Church thinks about all technology, including the most advanced systems we create today. The Church does not oppose progress or innovation, but insists that all human tools must serve people, not the other way around. Technology becomes harmful when it treats people as objects to be used or controlled rather than as unique individuals with rights and responsibilities. The Catholic understanding of human dignity means we cannot simply adopt whatever new tools become available without asking hard questions about their impact on our souls and society. Saint John Paul II spoke often about technology’s proper role in human life, saying that tools should help us grow as people and strengthen our connections to God and to each other. When artificial intelligence systems make decisions that affect human lives, those decisions cannot be separated from moral questions about fairness, truth, and respect. The Church teaches that we bear responsibility for what we create, and we cannot pass that responsibility on to machines. Every algorithm that affects people carries moral weight because people matter to God. The Church calls us to remember that no computer system, no matter how sophisticated, can replace the wisdom that comes from understanding the human heart.

The Problem of Control and Human Agency

Catholic theology has always emphasized human free will as a gift from God and a central part of what makes us human. This principle becomes complicated when we depend on artificial intelligence systems to make important choices for us. The Church teaches that certain decisions must remain in human hands because they involve questions that only people can answer through their own moral reasoning and conscience. When artificial intelligence systems control access to jobs, medical care, or basic services, the question of who is really making decisions becomes urgent and serious. If people cannot understand why a computer system rejected their loan application or denied them treatment, they cannot defend themselves or their dignity. The Church warns against systems that treat complex human situations as simple data points to be processed without care or attention to individual circumstances. Pope Francis has spoken about the need for “human-in-the-loop” decision making, meaning people must stay involved in choices that shape lives and futures. Automation that removes human judgment from important matters can lead to injustice because it removes the possibility of mercy, understanding, and compassion. Catholic teaching insists that machines should help people make better decisions, not make decisions for them in situations where human judgment matters most. The Church teaches that we must ask ourselves whether a particular use of artificial intelligence increases human freedom or reduces it. When technology makes people less responsible or less involved in their own lives, it works against the Catholic vision of human flourishing.

Employment, Work, and Economic Justice

Work holds a special place in Catholic teaching because it reflects how God made us and how we are meant to live. Through work, people provide for themselves and their families while also contributing to the common good and sharing in God’s creative work. Artificial intelligence threatens to change the nature of work in ways that the Church views with real concern and careful attention. If machines replace human workers without providing a way for people to earn a living and maintain their dignity, we face a serious moral crisis. The Church teaches that society has an obligation to help people find meaningful work that allows them to support themselves and their communities. When artificial intelligence creates unemployment without also creating new opportunities or safety nets, it violates Catholic principles about economic justice. The Church does not say that technology is wrong simply because it changes how work happens, but it insists that the benefits of new technology must be shared fairly among all people. Pope Francis has warned about an economic system that only benefits the wealthy owners of technology while workers are left behind. Catholic social teaching holds that capital and technology exist to serve workers, not the other way around. Education and training programs that help workers adapt to new technologies are part of a just response to these changes. The Church calls for policies that ensure people can still earn dignified wages and support their families even as automation changes industries. Catholic business leaders and workers have a responsibility to think about these problems and work toward solutions that protect the most vulnerable. The Church teaches that no one should profit from technology in ways that leave others without hope or a future.

Truth, Misinformation, and the Search for Reality

The Catholic tradition places enormous value on truth because God is truth, and seeking truth is part of how we grow closer to God. Artificial intelligence systems can spread misinformation and false images so convincing that many people cannot tell them apart from reality. The Church teaches that this kind of deception strikes at something fundamental to human dignity and social trust. When people cannot trust what they see or hear, they lose their ability to make informed choices about their own lives and communities. Artificial systems that create fake videos, fake news stories, or fake images cause real harm by undermining society’s shared understanding of what actually happened. The Church recognizes that misinformation is not new, but artificial intelligence makes it possible to spread false information at scales never before possible in human history. Catholics have a responsibility to search for truth and to refuse spreading lies, even if lies are easier to share or more entertaining. The Church teaches that media literacy and critical thinking are important skills that help people find truth in a world full of competing information. People who work in media, technology, and advertising have special responsibility to make sure they are not using artificial intelligence systems to manipulate or deceive. Pope Francis has called attention to how false information can poison society and damage the common good by breaking down trust. The Church urges people to think carefully about what they see online and to ask whether something is really true before sharing it with others. Living with integrity requires that we care about truth not just for ourselves but for other people who might be affected by false information.

Privacy, Surveillance, and Personal Freedom

Catholic teaching emphasizes that every person has rights that should not be taken away, even for the sake of convenience or safety. Privacy is one of those rights because it protects human dignity and the space where people can develop their own thoughts and beliefs without outside pressure. Artificial intelligence systems can collect information about people’s actions, movements, conversations, and even thoughts in ways that were never before possible. The Church teaches that constant surveillance treats people as objects to be monitored rather than as free individuals with rights. Data collection by governments and companies raises serious questions about who has power over other people’s lives and information. When artificial intelligence systems build detailed profiles of what people like, what they buy, and how they behave, they can be used to manipulate people in ways they do not understand or control. The Church recognizes that some data collection may be necessary for legitimate purposes, but it must always happen within clear limits and with the knowledge and permission of the people involved. People should have the right to know what information is being collected about them and how it will be used. They should also have the right to correct false information and to refuse to share private details that do not serve a legitimate public good. The Church teaches that companies and governments should not collect more information than they actually need, and they should protect that information carefully against theft and misuse. Catholics should think about what they share online and should support laws that protect people’s privacy from abuse. Living in a society where artificial intelligence systems watch everyone all the time creates a climate of fear that works against freedom and human growth.

The Bias and Fairness Problem

Artificial intelligence systems learn by studying patterns in information from the past and the present, but that information often contains unfair patterns that reflect human prejudice and discrimination. The Church teaches that every person has equal worth and dignity regardless of race, gender, class, or any other characteristic, so systems that treat people unequally because of these characteristics are fundamentally wrong. When artificial intelligence makes decisions about hiring, housing, health care, or criminal justice, hidden biases in the system can cause real harm to real people. The Church is deeply concerned about how artificial intelligence might perpetuate and even strengthen the discrimination that disadvantages poor people, minorities, and other vulnerable groups. A computer system that denies loans to people in certain neighborhoods because of statistics about past lending patterns is not making a fair decision even if the mathematics look correct. The Church teaches that fairness requires understanding people as individuals with their own unique circumstances, not just sorting them into statistical groups. Researchers and engineers who build artificial intelligence systems have a moral responsibility to test their work for bias and to correct problems they find. People who use these systems also have a responsibility to notice when results seem unfair and to speak up about what they see. The Church calls on society to create rules and oversight that make sure artificial intelligence systems are not harming vulnerable people through hidden discrimination. Simple answers do not work here because removing protected characteristics from a system does not stop bias if other patterns in the data still encode discrimination in hidden ways. The Church teaches that fighting injustice requires sustained attention and willingness to change systems that are not working fairly.

Medical Ethics and the Value of Life

The Catholic Church teaches that human life is sacred and that decisions about medical care must be guided by respect for life and for the person’s own conscience and beliefs. Artificial intelligence systems are increasingly used in hospitals and doctors’ offices to help diagnose disease, suggest treatments, and predict which patients are most at risk. These uses of technology can be helpful when they support doctors in making better decisions and caring for patients more effectively. However, the Church has concerns about how artificial intelligence might influence decisions about when to treat patients and when to stop treatment. A system that suggests withdrawing care from an elderly or disabled patient based on calculations about cost or survival odds raises serious moral problems. The Church teaches that every human life has value regardless of age, disability, or how much money someone might cost to care for. Doctors must make decisions based on what they believe is best for their individual patients, not based on what some calculation says will save money or resources. Artificial intelligence systems must never be allowed to make life and death decisions on their own, without human doctors involved in every step of the process. The Church teaches that palliative care and comfort are important even when a cure is not possible, and no system should pressure doctors to give up on patients too quickly. Medical professionals should use artificial intelligence tools to support their own judgment, but they must remain the ones who bear responsibility for decisions about patient care. Patients and families should understand what role artificial intelligence is playing in their care and should have the right to refuse treatments suggested by a machine. Catholic hospitals and health care workers have a special obligation to make sure artificial intelligence is not being used in ways that contradict the Church’s teaching about the value and dignity of every human life.

Creativity, Art, and Human Expression

God made humans in His image as creative beings who can imagine new things and bring beauty into the world through art, music, writing, and other forms of expression. Artificial intelligence systems can now generate images, music, and text that look or sound like they were made by human artists. The Church values human creativity as a reflection of God’s creative power, so questions about artificial intelligence and art matter to Catholic teaching about human dignity and our purpose. When artificial intelligence creates something beautiful, it can be impressive and useful, but it raises questions about what makes human creative work special and important. The Church teaches that human creativity involves not just the technical skill to make something but also the personal vision, emotion, and meaning that comes from a living person. Art created by artificial intelligence lacks the soul that comes from human experience and the artist’s own search for truth and beauty. An image made by artificial intelligence might look stunning, but it has no lived experience behind it and does not express any real person’s vision or struggle. The Church is concerned about situations where artificial intelligence systems train on the work of human artists without permission or payment. Those artists created their work as an expression of their talent and labor, and they deserve to be respected and compensated for that work. Artificial intelligence trained on massive amounts of human-made art essentially copies from countless sources, which raises questions about theft and fairness. The Church teaches that workers deserve to be paid fairly for their work, and that includes artists whose work is used to train artificial intelligence systems. While artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to help human artists work faster or explore new ideas, it should not replace human creativity or reduce the value we place on art made by real people. Catholics should support laws and practices that protect artists’ rights and make sure they benefit when their work is used to train artificial intelligence systems. The Church recognizes that questions about art and technology are complicated, but the basic principle remains simple: human dignity and human work deserve respect.

Environmental Concerns and Resource Use

Artificial intelligence systems, especially large ones that train on huge amounts of information, require enormous amounts of electricity and water to operate and stay cool. The Catholic Church teaches that we have a responsibility to care for creation and to be good stewards of the earth’s resources, so the environmental impact of artificial intelligence matters to Catholic ethics. Pope Francis has warned repeatedly about climate change and the destruction of the natural world, emphasizing that we owe care for the earth to God and to future generations. Data centers that power artificial intelligence consume so much water in some regions that it affects the water available for farming and drinking. The electricity used to run these systems comes largely from fossil fuels that release carbon into the atmosphere and speed up climate change. The Church teaches that using resources wastefully or in ways that harm creation is a form of sin because it violates our responsibility to care for God’s world. Technology companies should invest in renewable energy sources and in making artificial intelligence systems more efficient so they require less power. Society should ask hard questions about whether each new use of artificial intelligence is really worth the environmental cost, or whether we are simply pursuing new technology without counting what it actually costs. The Church calls on people to think about their own use of artificial intelligence and the digital services they depend on, understanding that these conveniences have real environmental costs. Artificial intelligence companies have a special responsibility because the scale of their operations makes their environmental impact so large. The Church teaches that we cannot claim to love God while destroying the creation He gave us, so environmental responsibility is a serious moral issue, not just a preference.

Education and Human Formation

The Catholic tradition has always placed great importance on education as a way to help people become fully human and to live good lives rooted in faith and reason. Education involves far more than just transferring information from one person to another; it is about formation of the whole person, including their character, their ability to think, and their relationship with God. Artificial intelligence systems can deliver information very efficiently, but the Church teaches that real education involves relationships between teachers and students that technology cannot replace. A student who learns facts from a computer program might understand information, but they miss the chance to develop their thinking skills through conversation with an experienced teacher. Teachers help students not just by providing information but by modeling how to think about hard questions, how to struggle with ideas, and how to live with integrity. The Church is concerned that over-reliance on artificial intelligence in education might reduce education to simple information transfer and lose sight of the deeper purpose of helping young people become wise and virtuous. Artificial intelligence tools can support education by helping teachers manage their work and providing students with extra practice, but they should not become substitutes for human teachers. Catholic schools have a special mission to educate in faith as well as academics, and this formation requires real relationships and personal attention that machines cannot provide. Teachers should use artificial intelligence to free themselves from routine tasks so they have more time to spend on actual teaching and on knowing their students. Parents should be aware of how much time their children spend with artificial intelligence systems and should make sure young people still spend time with real people who can guide them. The Church teaches that young people need mentors and role models, not just information sources. Education is one area where the personal relationship between teacher and student is essential to what makes education actually work.

Algorithmic Decision-Making in Justice Systems

The Catholic Church has always emphasized justice as a central part of living according to God’s will, and the Church teaches that justice systems must treat all people fairly and respect their dignity. Artificial intelligence systems are increasingly used in courts and police departments to predict which people are likely to commit crimes and to recommend sentences for people convicted of crimes. The Church is deeply concerned about this because justice decisions affect people’s freedom and future in the most serious ways. A system that predicts someone will commit a crime based on statistics about people similar to them is not actually judging that individual person and their circumstances. The Church teaches that justice must be personal and individual; it must take into account the real facts of each situation and the unique person involved. An algorithm that looks at race, zip code, or past patterns of law enforcement might seem objective, but it can perpetuate injustice by treating people as members of statistical groups rather than as individuals. Judges and juries must make decisions based on genuine understanding of what actually happened and why, not based on what a computer system predicts. The Church teaches that mercy is an important part of justice, and a machine cannot exercise mercy or understand the human context that sometimes makes harsh punishment unjust. People accused of crimes have the right to know what evidence is being used against them and to have a real person, not a computer system, make decisions about their freedom. Artificial intelligence systems used in criminal justice should be transparent so people can understand how decisions are being made. The Church calls on judges, lawyers, and lawmakers to be very careful about using artificial intelligence in ways that might take away people’s rights or access to real human judgment when their freedom is at stake.

Warfare, Weapons, and Moral Responsibility

The Catholic Church teaches that human life is sacred and that violence should be used only as a last resort to protect innocent people from serious harm. The development of artificial intelligence weapons that can kill without human control over the decision raises the most serious moral questions. Autonomous weapons systems that choose targets and fire without a human being making that decision violate the basic principle that humans must remain responsible for decisions to use lethal force. The Church teaches that taking a human life is never a simple matter; it requires serious moral judgment about whether violence is truly necessary and whether it is proportionate to the threat. A machine cannot make these judgments; only a human being with a conscience can decide whether killing is really justified in a particular situation. Even if artificial intelligence might sometimes choose targets faster or more accurately than humans, speed and accuracy are not the most important things when decisions about killing are involved. Pope Francis and the bishops of the Church have called for bans on autonomous weapons systems that remove humans from the decision to use lethal force. The Church teaches that nations have the right to defend themselves, but they must do so in ways that respect the laws of war and that keep human moral judgment at the center of decisions to use force. Military leaders and weapons developers have a serious responsibility before God to refuse to create or deploy systems that would kill without human control. Nations should work together to create international rules that ban autonomous weapons and that require human beings to remain in control of decisions to use lethal force. The Church calls on people in the military and in weapons development to listen to their conscience and to refuse participation in creating weapons that violate fundamental moral principles.

Social Connection and Human Relationships

God made humans as social beings who need connection with other people to grow and flourish, and the Church teaches that strong communities and families are essential to a good life. Artificial intelligence systems can connect people across distances, but they can also replace real relationships with shallow interactions that feel like connection but do not truly nourish the human spirit. Social media platforms powered by artificial intelligence use algorithms to keep people engaged by showing them content that triggers emotional reactions. These systems are designed to maximize time spent using them, even when that time would be better spent on real relationships or other activities. The Church teaches that advertising and manipulation that takes advantage of human psychology is wrong, and these practices undermine human freedom and dignity. When artificial intelligence systems understand someone’s weaknesses and preferences well enough to manipulate them, that use of technology violates respect for human agency. Young people especially can be harmed by systems designed to capture their attention and shape their behavior in ways that serve corporate profits rather than human wellbeing. The Church teaches that we should use technology to strengthen genuine relationships, not to create the illusion of connection while actually isolating ourselves from real people. Family time and friendships require genuine attention and presence that cannot be provided by a screen, no matter how sophisticated the technology behind it. Catholics should think carefully about how much time they spend interacting with artificial intelligence systems and whether that time is taking away from relationships that matter. Parents have a responsibility to help their children develop real skills for friendship and community rather than replacing these with technological connections. The Church reminds us that the deepest human needs for love, understanding, and belonging can only be met through relationships with other real people, especially within families and communities of faith.

Spiritual and Religious Life

The Catholic faith is centered on a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and this relationship requires genuine encounter and true presence that technology cannot provide. Prayer is a conversation with God that involves bringing one’s whole self, including one’s thoughts, feelings, and struggles, into the presence of God’s love and mercy. While people can use technology to support their prayer life by accessing Scripture or devotional materials, the essence of prayer is something personal and direct that no machine can mediate. The Church teaches that the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and confession, are encounters with God’s grace that happen through physical presence and real community. These acts of faith cannot be experienced through virtual reality or artificial intelligence systems, no matter how well those systems might simulate religious experiences. The Church is concerned that relying too much on artificial intelligence for spiritual guidance or moral direction might lead people away from real priests and real community. A person facing a serious moral decision needs to speak with a real priest who knows them and understands the fullness of their situation, not a chatbot that provides general answers. The Church teaches that faith grows through participation in community worship, through relationships with other believers, and through struggles with real people in real situations. When artificial intelligence systems try to take over roles that belong to real people in the faith community, they undermine the Church’s ability to care for souls and help people grow in holiness. Catholics should use artificial intelligence as a tool to support their faith life, but they should not substitute machines for the real experiences and relationships that faith requires. The Church calls on believers to protect the sacred and personal nature of their relationship with God and to be careful about inviting technology into spaces that should remain sacred and truly personal.

Regulation and Governance

The rapid development of artificial intelligence has moved faster than society’s ability to understand its effects and to create rules that protect people from harm. The Catholic Church teaches that government has a responsibility to make and enforce laws that protect the common good and that prevent powerful people and companies from harming vulnerable people. The Church believes that artificial intelligence systems are powerful tools that shape society, and this power should not be left entirely in the hands of companies pursuing profit. Some artificial intelligence development should be regulated to make sure that systems used in important areas like health care, criminal justice, and employment are safe and fair. The Church is not calling for rules that would prevent all artificial intelligence development or innovation, but rather for wise governance that balances innovation with protection of human rights and dignity. Companies developing artificial intelligence should not be free to do whatever produces the most profit without regard for human impact. Governments should require transparency about how important artificial intelligence systems work so people can understand what affects their lives. Independent testing and approval processes could help make sure dangerous systems do not get used on the public before it is clear they are safe and fair. The Church teaches that people affected by artificial intelligence systems should have a voice in decisions about how those systems are developed and used. International cooperation will be necessary because artificial intelligence affects people across all borders, and nations working alone cannot control a technology that is global in scope. The Church recognizes that good regulation is difficult and that there is no perfect solution, but the alternative is to let powerful technology shape society without any guidance from law or ethics. The development of artificial intelligence is an opportunity for society to learn from mistakes made with other technologies and to think carefully about what we want our future to look like.

Religious Perspectives and The Catechism

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that humans are made in the image and likeness of God and that this fundamental truth must guide all our thinking about technology and how we live together. The Catechism reminds us that God gave humans the gift of dominion over creation, which means we are responsible stewards of the world, not masters who can use it however we please (CCC 373). God made humans with intellect and free will, and these gifts are central to what makes us human and able to choose the good. The Catechism teaches that conscience is the capacity for each person to understand what God’s law requires in their particular situation, and this requires careful moral reasoning that cannot be outsourced to machines (CCC 1777). Artificial intelligence systems cannot develop conscience or moral wisdom because these are gifts that only living people can exercise. The Catechism explains that the natural law, which God has written into human nature, teaches us principles about how to treat each other and how to live together justly (CCC 1954). These principles apply to artificial intelligence just as they apply to all human activity. The Church teaches that all human work shares in God’s creative work and that work is good and worthy of respect (CCC 2427). This principle means that artificial intelligence should support human work and human dignity rather than reducing people to servants of machines. The Catechism teaches that justice and solidarity require that we work for the common good and that we especially protect those who are vulnerable (CCC 1931). This obligation means we must think about how artificial intelligence affects poor people and vulnerable groups, not just people who are wealthy and powerful.

Building a Catholic Vision

The Catholic Church does not reject technology, but it insists that all technology must serve human flourishing and must be guided by truth, justice, and love. Creating a Catholic approach to artificial intelligence means starting with the question of what kind of world we want to build and what kind of people we want to become. Technology should help us become more fully human, more capable of loving God and each other, and more able to serve the common good. This means we need to ask hard questions about each new application of artificial intelligence and whether it really serves these deeper purposes. The Church calls on scientists and engineers to use their gifts in service of humanity and to think carefully about what they create and what effects their work might have on society. Parents should help young people develop wisdom about technology and help them understand that having the most advanced tools is not the same as having a good and meaningful life. Priests and spiritual leaders should help people think about these questions from a faith perspective and help communities discern how to use technology in ways that honor human dignity and strengthen the bonds of community. Business and political leaders have a responsibility to listen to voices warning about potential harms and to be willing to change course if they see that technology is causing damage to people or society. The Church teaches that we all share responsibility for the future we are building through the choices we make today about what to support and what to resist. Catholics should be active participants in these conversations, bringing faith and reason to bear on how technology shapes our world. The question is not whether artificial intelligence will exist, but how it will be used and what kind of society we will build with it.

Concluding Reflections

The Catholic Church’s teaching about artificial intelligence is rooted in unchanging truths about human dignity, freedom, and our connection to God and each other. Technology changes, but the principles of faith and reason remain constant in guiding us toward what is good and away from what causes harm. The Church recognizes that artificial intelligence presents real opportunities to reduce suffering, increase efficiency, and help people live better lives in practical ways. At the same time, the Church warns that technology pursued without wisdom and without respect for human dignity can cause serious harm to people and to society. Every person who develops, deploys, or uses artificial intelligence makes choices that affect other people’s lives and futures. These choices carry moral weight because humans are responsible for what they do and for the effects their actions have on others. The Church calls on everyone involved with artificial intelligence to think carefully about these ethical questions and to let faith and reason guide their decisions. Society needs not just lawyers and engineers thinking about artificial intelligence, but also philosophers, theologians, and ordinary people whose voices matter in shaping how this technology develops. The Catholic faith offers resources for thinking wisely about technology, starting with the conviction that human beings matter and that our treatment of each other reveals whether we truly believe in God’s love and justice. As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and more integrated into every part of our lives, the need for moral guidance from faith becomes even more important, not less. The Church will continue to teach and to challenge society to use artificial intelligence in ways that honor God and protect human dignity. Catholics should be leaders in these conversations, speaking up for what is right and refusing to accept harms to vulnerable people simply because they result from convenient technology.