AI Takeover in the Workplace: Where Do We Go From Here?
“Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity” (Titus 2:6-7).
Editor’s Note: This article was written prior to Pope Leo releasing his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.
I don’t know about you, but artificial intelligence has been at the top of my mind recently. As a software engineer, AI has taken its spot in the driver's seat and has drastically changed my day-to-day work. We are being called to “AI-forward development” and embracing any opportunity to use this new technology.
However, I sit conflicted, frustrated, and confused. What has my life devolved to in that I am spending endless hours watching a robot do a job I used to do? I am sure some of you feel the same. Whether you have embraced the era of AI with open arms, are confused about the moral implications of this technology, or are frustrated by the ways it is impacting security and creativity, you are not alone. In an ever-changing technological world, it’s hard to see where our role as Catholics plays a part and where these practices align with church teachings.
A Pope for Our Time
I want to begin with the acknowledgement that AI isn’t bad in the eyes of the Church, but that doesn’t give us the freedom to use it in any way we please. Pope Leo has been quite vocal about artificial intelligence. His message from World Communications Day is exquisite, and I would like to take a moment to summarize some of his thoughts (though I encourage you to take the time to go back and read it yourself).
Like all tools and technologies that have come before it, artificial intelligence is just that 一 a tool. We as humans grow through our work and relationships; if we defer these things to the hands of an invisible robot, we are doing no service to ourselves or those around us. However, Pope Leo also isn’t calling us to hide ourselves away from artificial intelligence either. As Catholics with a unique understanding of the importance of the human person, we have a particularly vital role in this age of AI, to build responsible digital citizenship, and educate others on how to do the same. “The task laid before us is not to stop digital innovation, but rather to guide it and to be aware of its ambivalent nature,” Pope Leo said.
Pope Leo’s words offer me encouragement. I am currently in a season of struggling with the purpose of my job and why God has set me on this path. Having AI take over half of my work hasn’t helped with this challenge. However, God needs good people to be examples of how to use AI well. He needs Catholics who will find ways to intentionally use these tools as well as protect those who might not know of the detrimental implications at hand. In short, He needs software engineers and corporate workers like me (and I am sure some of you) who know His truth and can spread it to others by both word and example.
A Calling for Our Time
God has placed you and me in the age of technology for a reason. He has asked us to be the stewards of the tools of this age. Though I can’t choose to remove AI from my day-to-day, I can choose how I use it. I often compare AI to social media. Social media users often walk a fine line between opportunity and danger. While it could be easy to say that anxiety, depression, and child harm would go down without social media, I think of all the wonderful missionaries on Instagram, YouTube, and Substack who are profoundly making Jesus known while being good stewards of this technology. There is a joy in seeing Father Mike Schmitz or the Dominican Nuns make mainstream social media feeds, where Jesus might be brought to someone’s mind for the first time in a long time. As weird as it sounds, I trust there is a long line of saints in the making because of social media!
I am not denying that social media, artificial intelligence, or any form of technology doesn’t have its flaws. However, echoing points from Pope Leo, we as Catholics are not called to lock AI away in protest. We are called to be good stewards of the technology God has placed in front of us. If you your workplace has high AI expectations and you feel as if you can’t escape, maybe the Lord is asking you to embrace it and 一 just like every encounter or action you do 一一be an example of how Christ would work. Just as TV networks were entrusted to Mother Angelia, the World Wide Web to St. Carlos Acutis, the Lord might be entrusting the stewarding of AI in the workplace to you. Be an example of how to use it well.
Caroline is a software engineer based in the Washington, DC area who loves running, music, reading, and dancing. She’s always up for a long outdoor walk or a trip to a local coffee shop. Chances are, she’ll end up talking about her love of the rosary, her “saint squad” (especially St. Thérèse, St. Josemaría Escrivá, and St. Joseph), or how she’s been seeing God’s providential love at work in her life.
