Christendom College’s Political Science Department recently hosted an engaging panel discussion on Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence, Magnifica Humanitas. Featuring college faculty members Dr. Nicolas McAfee, Dr. Eric Jenislawski, and Dr. James Bergida, along with guest panelists Dr. James Van Dyke of the University of Virginia and Michael Marinaccio of the Center for Responsible Technology, each speaker examined a different aspect of Pope Leo’s new work and its implications for artificial intelligence, technology, and the human person.
Pope Leo released the first encyclical of his pontificate this past May, writing on the importance of “safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.” With the encyclical addressing questions increasingly relevant to both the Church and modern society, Christendom’s Political Science Department selected it as the subject of the first academic panel of the new semester.
Van Dyke opened the discussion with a short presentation refuting the humanity of artificial intelligence by providing a brief explanation of its basic functions. He then explored Magnifica Humanitas’ treatment of of the dignity of personhood, and the importance of retaining this through one’s use of technology.
“We want to avoid thinking of people as projects to be optimized, but rather as persons called to relationship and communion,” said Van Dyke.
Next, McAfee responded to a question from Bergida about the inevitability of AI, urging students not to treat the rise of artificial intelligence as hopelessly inevitable, and surmising that the next generation would be shifting away from AI rather than continuing to develop it.
Like Van Dyke, Marinaccio emphasized AI’s inability to truly match the power of the human intellect. Quoting a friend, he said, “It may look like a word, it may sound like a word, you may use it like it’s a word, but the chatbot is not producing words. Words are exclusive to human beings.”
Jenislawski then examined the encyclical through the lens of Catholic social teaching, highlighting its treatment of human dignity and the common good, but most of all its notable emphasis on subsidiarity and solidarity. He noted especially how well a Christendom education prepares students to face the AI challenge.
“I can’t stress enough how valuable it is that you have something like a liberal arts education, that integrates history and philosophy and theology and some measure of math and science,” he told students, adding, “A lot of this has to be informed by a proper understanding of the human person.”
The panel concluded with a Q&A session, among both the speakers themselves and the students, who asked questions ranging from the recent rise of surveillance technology, the use of AI in warfare, to practical advice for limiting technology in their personal lives.
This discussion of Magnifica Humanitas was a valuable opportunity for students to hear from regional and national figures on one of the most important topics gripping today’s headlines, challenging students to consider not only what artificial intelligence is capable of, but how it ought to be considered in light of the dignity of the human person.
Watch the full panel discussion below:
Contributed by Bridget Palm ’28.