In light of Pope Leo's Magnifica Humanitas, what is the role of theology in discussions of AI? Dr. John Slattery will present the current field of AI ethical studies and argue for a liberative, eschatological resistance to AI platforms. Paired with Pope Leo's language of disarmament, liberation theology offers a helpful lens for addressing the needs of community alongside the demands of modern technology. Through theology, we can resist the dehumanizing tendencies of capitalism and work together to build a humane and holy future.

John Slattery, Executive Director of the Grefenstette Center for Ethics at Duquesne University, is an ethicist, theologian, and historian of science. Slattery works at the intersection of technology, science, theology, and racism. His education was at Georgetown University’s St. Paul School of Theology, and Notre Dame. He serves on the AI Research Group at the Vatican Dicastery on Culture and Education, through which he co-authored the volume Encountering Artificial Intelligence.(2024).