By Chaminade University of Honolulu
Special to the Herald
Humanity can cope with the rise of artificial intelligence technology, as it has with other technological revolutions, without losing what makes us human. But we must first fully understand what AI is and how it should be used.
That was the greatest takeaway from Chaminade University of Honolulu’s Marianist Lecture, held Oct. 18 at the university’s Mystical Rose Oratory and featuring two experts on AI and the Catholic Church’s position on this technology. The talk was titled “Timely Technology, Timeless Questions: AI and the Human Person.”
Kyle Ballarta is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur who has written extensively on the intersection of faith and technology. Louis Kim is an executive, technology adviser and theologian with the Duke Divinity School.
Ballarta and Kim had earlier spoken to students and faculty to discuss AI as part of Chaminade’s Wellness Week. The Marianist Lecture involved more formal presentations followed by a brief question-and-answer session.
This past May, Pope Leo XIV released his landmark encyclical letter, “Magnifica Humanitas,” in which he discusses AI technology at length — rejecting arguments that it represents a new form of consciousness similar to human self-awareness while accepting that AI is a powerful tool that must be managed responsibly.
Ballarta imparted the same words of wisdom during his Marianist Lecture presentation. “We choose values, and those values choose technologies,” he said.
In other words, how this technology is used depends on the values of the people both building it and applying AI. Ballarta reminded the audience that new technologies have always drawn concern throughout human history — from Gutenberg’s printing press to the telephone — yet humans have always found a way through these changes, incorporating new, groundbreaking technologies into everyday life without losing themselves.
Kim echoed Ballarta’s reflections, acknowledging the anxiety many are feeling about AI, particularly over its potential impact on jobs and human connections.
“What is precious about being human?” he asked the audience. “When AI gets so powerful, what are we going to hold on to?”
AI technologies, in particular the most popular large language models (LLMs) or chatbots, are based on computer processing architectures that empower computers to recognize and replicate common patterns and relationships between data points. Whereas computers could once only process text word-by-word, modern LLMs can read entire paragraphs and even books and recognize how the words and phrases contained within them relate to one another, enabling these machines to generate their own human-like responses to queries.
As impressive as this technology is, we should not mistake this processing power for actual human thought or consciousness, Ballarta cautioned during his talk, echoing one of the main points delivered in Pope Leo’s encyclical. “We are more than numbers and data,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kim offered words of encouragement to people feeling overwhelmed by the rapid progression of AI technology and its intrusion into our daily lives. He argued that faith very much still has a seat at the table for this broader discussion, and that the Catholic Church in particular has a role to play.
The Church “has the power of cultural change,” Kim reminded everyone.
Ballarta agreed. Catholicism “can be a serious instrument in addressing these questions,” he said.
Questions from the audience reflected both general confusion over what AI technology is and genuine concern about how it may negatively impact society. Audience members reminded Kim and Ballarta that the people in Silicon Valley and beyond developing AI technologies do not necessarily have the best intentions in mind.
Kim said he has encountered both good and bad actors in his interactions with Silicon Valley technology company executives. Yet he acknowledged that this concern is legitimate. He said the only response is thoughtful and appropriate regulation of AI technology.
Ballarta agreed, saying governance will matter a great deal in determining how AI technologies ultimately impact humanity. “Does the technology serve us, or are we serving the technology?” he asked, asserting that AI must serve humanity and not undermine it.
The next Marianist Lecture will take place Feb. 21 and will feature Msgr. Robert Sarno and a local panel on “The Saints of Hawaii.”