Is it time to “belly up to the bar?” Will AI teach humans what it means to be a human?

'Quaerite et invenietis ... Quaerite primum regnum Dei

Is it time to “belly up to the bar?” Will AI teach humans what it means to be a human?

'Quaerite et invenietis ... Quaerite primum regnum Dei—Seek and ye shall find... Seek ye first the Kingdom of God… ' (Luke 12:22).

We read this week's Stefan Gigacz article that reminded us of the 60th anniversary of the book “Lay People into Action” by Joseph Cardijn.

“For the older I get, the more I am convinced that the importance of the lay apostolate is a decisive factor in the future of the world and the salvation of humanity.” ~ Joseph Cardijn

Think about the world's future and humanity's salvation in emerging technology.  What lesson do we learn from Joseph Cardijn from his experiences during the Industrial Revolution? What he wrote, spoke, and acted, during a time when the advances of technology stressed workers, students, and families. We experienced societal change—major shifts in how we lived, enjoyed, or did not enjoy. But here we are today, all products of that revolution.

Today, we are in the early stages of the Autonomous Revolution. It is similar to the societal change of the Industrial Revolution but different in many respects. The message of Cardijn during the days of the industrial revolution holds true today.

Cardijn pointed out that the Catholic Church, which includes all the Rites, East and West,, must include all Christians, believers, and non-believers to bring about the change necessary to reinvigorate the heart of people to work for the greater good of the planet, people, and understand what our purpose is in life and how to bring prosperity for all human being to the forefront.  For Christians, the gospel messages is all about what we read in Social Teachings and what we practice based on the social teachings. A friend of mine in Canada who is not a Catholic said to me, “Catholic Social Teachings are the only Christian Social Teachings we have to guide us.”

The United Kingdom and the United States were major drivers along with Germany during the industrial revolution. Many advances in society occurred, and the Industrial Revolution gave birth to the autonomous revolution. Have we become so comfortable with our state in life and wealth generation that we forget the Gospel message? The Autonomous Revolution will remind us very quickly of the Gospel message.  We need to zero in on what the future holds for humanity, a time to judge and discern and how we will create (act) the future we want that helps bring about the kingdom of God here and now. Or as Aristotle said to bring about an awareness of Eudaimonia.

What is KEY to understand when we look at Joseph Cardijn's life is how he brought the kingdom of God as Jesus taught us in the time he spent on earth. His focus was spent on those most impacted by the technology of the industrial revolution. We need to focus on what impacts people, the planet, purpose in life, and the meaning of prosperity.

The world of technology will continue to bring about change for people at an accelerated rate. Much faster than what we humans experienced in the last two revolutions. if we do not prepare for the change, people will suffer unnecessarily.  This is a time that calls for us to judge and discern.

Remember that Jesus entered a world with enormous social conflict brought on by authoritarian control. It was a world of social conflict between rich and poor. The Sermon on the Mount was a political statement of the time. Go and read MT 5-6-7 and put yourself in the sandals of the people sitting on the hillside. People who were oppressed, socially and economically. Read those passages from the perspective of See-Judge-Act.

The world of Artificial Intelligence and related emerging technology if not managed properly, will exacerbate the divisions between rich and poor, between workers and managers and industrialists and governments far greater than during Joseph Cardijn's time. Do we see this coming?

Joseph Cardinal Cardijn’s thinking and message go back decades before Vatican II. Cardijn’s methods of See-Judge-Act are vital today in understanding our role as Christians in emerging technology. As the new era of autonomous technologies develops, we will see societal phase change, as with the agricultural and industrial revolutions. We will see jobs and careers disappear, societal roles fluctuate and change, and people position themselves to take advantage of the wealth the technology will create. Think Leo XIII, what he saw, and how it relates to today. Read Pope Francis’ encyclicals and ask yourself what role do I play in this changing world. It’s time to reclaim the pro-worker/people history of Catholic Social Teaching. To bring the Church’s social teachings to the forefront so Christians better understand the situation and the gospel message.

The future is already here – the issue is you, and I  just haven’t paid enough attention to it!  Many of us are far too busy coping with present challenges to explore the future of emerging technology in any real depth – and when we do, our hopes and fears often run away with us, resulting either in utopias or dystopias. It is time for all of us, including bishops, priests, and other influential Christians, to be at the front of the line when technology confronts laborers, professionals, service workers, education, and students. We need to address our society's policies so that the powers at hand, do not treat laborers, professionals, and students as disposable entities for greater profits. Prosperity must be viewed as a shared experience. This is seen in all the encyclicals, from Pope Leo XIII to Francis. We saw it in the life of Joseph Cardijn.

We see this right now in the Writers Guild and Actors Union as they strike (act) to demand just wages, just living, and how to live with emerging technology and to show the world the meaning of the virtue of work, the dignity of being human. When we decide, we thrive.

Catholic Social Teachings throughout history are about the virtues of work and human dignity—the greater good of humanity. We must understand (See & judge) why social teachings are more relevant today as we understand technology, especially Artificial Intelligence. For countless individuals, businesses, and organizations around the globe, the solution to this challenge is calling upon us not to think in terms of Technology vs. Humanity, but to employ the SEE JUDGE ACT method to Innovate-Educate-Collaborate with all stakeholders as we enter a world increasingly run by machines and algorithms.

We need to ACT and revitalize the Catholic Social Teachings using the Cardijn methods, formal and informal, in our daily lives. This first requires some education, both formal and informal, from the pulpit and classroom, in small discussion groups and book clubs. In our councils, committees, societies, and fraternities, we must reinvigorate the virtues of Catholic Social Teachings here and now.

Labor movements, social justice & the world of education are entering a new era as autonomous technology creates societal phase change. Who will be the leaders & educators? It is time to Decide and thrive, bringing about the kingdom of God.

The Catholic Church has a long history of leading progressive movements for economic dignity. It is time for the global hierarchy, clergy, you and I, and all the laity, to “belly up to the bar.”

Have we asked ourselves (discernment) how well we understand the difference between algorithms and what makes us essentially human—think the combination of algorithms and robots or drones or vehicles? We all have heard the phrase “the Internet of Things (IoT),” but what about the  Internet of Inhuman Things? When technology gradually phases into our society, and this includes the good, the bad, and the ugly of technology, we are confronted with change, and if we are not attentive and prepared, then suddenly, we begin to feel like we have no control over what is happening and we begin to feel like we are forgoing our humanity and become ever more mechanistic just to remain relevant in our society? 

Think of the people sitting on the hillside listening to Jesus deliver the Sermon on the Mount. What was going through their minds? What fear did they experience? What motivation was driving them?

Why do wealthy Catholic business leaders and the bishops in your country, not address the risk of technology that is not managed? Pope Francis tells us in no certain terms there is a stark challenge to “an economy of exclusion and inequality.” This is a risk in emerging technologies. This is why the See-Judge-Act methods are critical. We must view the method as a community task to educate those around us, including the clergy.  Think of the CFM movements of the 1950s; think of the YCW and YCS movements. They represent how well we work as a community with a common goal and vision. Not much different than what we experience in labor unions. Keep in mind one of the greatest challenges that Joseph Cardijn faced was educating the clergy and hierarchy.

Since the heyday of the Industrial Revolution, Catholic teaching had officially endorsed and promoted the virtue of work, the dignity of being a human being, and a living wage since 1891, when Pope Leo XIII issued an encyclical on capital and labor that underscored the importance of worker cooperatives.

Today is no different than the days of Pope Leo XIII; the dignity of being a human being is at stake. Together, we must innovate-educate-collaborate.  The key is collaboration! When we come together as humans, we can innovate and educate each other for the greater good. Then we will thrive, so we must decide now to take action.

The action we can take is reaching out to organizations, unions, worker cooperatives, and students and volunteering to help educate and collaborate to understand emerging technology and our collective roles as human beings and workers, as the technology emerges. And let us never forget that even today, in our modern era, Pope John Paul II described unions as “an indispensable element of social life.” 

SEE

• The encyclicals are just like parables to teach us about justice. As you read the encyclicals, think of the Sermon on the Mount.

• What does Pope Francis teach us about people, the planet, purpose, and prosperity?  Is this really new?

JUDGE 

• When you think of People, Planet, Purpose, and Prosperity, what comes to mind first?  Why do you think that resonated first?

• When judging and discerning, do we first think about the gospels? Or our past experiences? Or what is legal or what is morally right? And why is that? What is it about our life experiences that direct our decision-making? 

ACT 

• What to change? What to change to? And How do we make that change happen?  

• What do we need to do to sustain the change we implement? 

• When implementing change, how do we overcome obstacles people will present? How do we develop buy-in that is meaningful? 

Suggested Reading: Jesus Before Christianity: With a New Foreword by Sr. Helen Prejean By Albert Nolan OP. 6 December 2022 Edition

 Till next week, enjoy being who you are, and remember, The Currency of human contact is stories! People remember what they “see” in their minds. Tell your story! But above all, be a Mensch! 

Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash