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.

If AI is part of the future, then we should consider how fallen human nature is likely to misuse it. The first question is whether AI is a serious tool – that is, whether it is a dangerous one. If AI is indeed a serious tool, then there should be no objection to its cautious adoption and even to stringent regulation, much as we regulate motor vehicles and firearms.

A tool may be classified as serious by the potential harm it can cause when placed in the hands of the inexperienced or the impaired. It is little wonder that calculators require virtually no safeguards, while automobiles demand an extensive licensing system.

Numerous reports describe the harm that people have inflicted on themselves and others with the aid of chatbots. This is cause for grave concern. Safeguards can and should be put in place, but the reality remains that these tools are serious in nature.

The body is important, but not all harm is physical. Catholics can also recognise the spiritual dangers posed by AI image generation and character simulation. Man’s capacity to perceive beauty has long been distorted to serve his lusts. If the internet and its pornography were not enough, he can now abuse his imagination in still more pathetic and lurid ways. This is grave and terrible. Worse still are websites that actively encourage users to surrender themselves to lust and dissipation.

AI is a serious tool, and it is already being used for terrible purposes. Yet the same can be said of the internet as a whole. Catholics have chosen to engage with the internet, and so there should likewise be a serious conversation about the proper use of AI.

Yet AI presents dangers beyond obvious moral abuses. Even when used for legitimate purposes, it may erode the habits and satisfactions essential to human flourishing. It is no secret that calculators can weaken mental arithmetic and that typing can erode handwriting skills. AI, however, has the potential to remove a far greater degree of intellectual engagement from the user. Tools such as autocorrect and Grammarly are undeniably useful, but the trade-off is real.

Not every struggle is merely burdensome; many struggles are formative. Beyond the atrophy that may result from overreliance on AI, there is also a genuine danger to the satisfaction that comes from doing something oneself. What a person puts into his work is what he gets out of it.

Work is essential to man. Through work, he brings order to the chaos of his world in imitation of his Creator. The dignity of work is a gift directly bestowed by God.

We do not wish to declare all use of generative AI taboo, but rather to highlight the real exchange we may be making: satisfaction for ease, contemplation for quick answers and hard-earned skills for immediate results.

Not every party invitation or email draft must flow from the depths of the heart. Nevertheless, we should take notice of how often we are making these trades. Part of being human is the ability to recollect – to pause, reflect and act deliberately. Recollection gives us prudence in how and when to use tools.

AI is not demonic. Men are fully capable of creating things that are harmful to themselves. We should learn to take responsibility for our inventions rather than blaming preternatural forces when we abuse them. When we misuse serious tools, we abuse both AI and ourselves. Hopefully, this admittedly incomplete sketch will encourage us to recollect how and why we use this technology, and to do so with integrity.