Smart Answers AI-generated summary
In summary:
- PCWorld examines Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI, which emphasizes that artificial intelligence reflects the biases of its creators and lacks true empathy and real-world experience.
- Pope called AI a “valuable tool that requires vigilance” and advised users to adopt a more thoughtful, slower-paced approach when working with models such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
- The Pope’s guidance encourages users to actively consider when, why, and what they ask AI systems, and to recognize that despite sophisticated responses, there are limitations.
As I pored over Pope Leo XIV’s exhaustive treatise on humanity and AI, I was struck by a recurring theme. That is, AI is simulating basic human characteristics that we don’t actually have.
First of all, AI lacks the foundation that we humans have from real-world experience, Pope Leo pointed out in his first encyclical released by the Vatican on Monday. Yes, AI models such as ChatGPT (more specifically GPT), Claude, and Gemini are trained on large amounts of data that appear to represent the entirety of human knowledge. But all that data is just data. Billions of words. They are not real-world experiences with textures, sights, sounds, smells, and meanings.
The Pope also emphasized that AI can only simulate human empathy and morality, without any real meaning of the results. AI can also appear to be objective if it is actually tied to the biases of the people who created and trained it.
All of these factors will influence the answers you get from the AI, and they should (ideally) help explain the context of those answers. Whether we ask someone to help us choose the best portable monitor for ChatGPT or help us evaluate a major life decision, the answers we receive lack insight from real-life experience, concern for our own health, and consideration of how a particular choice will impact our lives and the lives of others.
All of this leads to the important observation in Pope Leo’s encyclical that AI is a “valuable tool that requires vigilance.” While the Pope primarily calls for world leaders, governments, and businesses to be “cautious” and “slow down” when it comes to AI adoption, I think there are lessons here for everyday AI users like us as well.
Personally, I believe that using AI “vigilantly” means being more cautious about using ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. “Thoughtful” literally means that you have to actively think when using them. You need to think carefully about when and why you use it, and what questions you actually ask.
To be honest, there have been many times when I’ve been faced with a problem that I could have tackled myself and thought, “Oh, I’ll just ask ChatGPT.” And when we received an answer, we were often too quick to take it at face value, without truly considering the model’s potential biases, the model’s limited frame of reference, or the fact that we had no stake in the outcome.
I have written here many times about the need for humans to not only create separate and appropriate tasks for AI, but also to take an active role in fully shaping the desired outcome over time, putting ourselves at the starting point. and At the end of your AI workflow.
That being said, I freely admit that I have not followed my own advice too often. Let the AI do the rest! But abdicating responsibility for your AI models can get you into trouble. Trust me, I know what I’m saying.
Yes, I’m rethinking how we use AI, and “thinking” is the key word.
