As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly prominent feature of everyday life, Catholics ought to have a response to it. One natural response is to reject AI simply because it is new and strange. The weakness of this approach is that others will embrace it for precisely those same reasons. There are already sensational headlines claiming that AI is a pact with the Devil or even the beast described in the Book of Revelation.
Rather than offering either outright denunciation or full-throated endorsement, the Catholic response should be one of sober responsibility. This is not a detailed treatment of AI, but rather a rough sketch offered in the hope of stimulating conversation.
