Taylor Black is a builder.
Black, founding executive director of The Catholic University of America’s Leonum Institute for AI and Emerging Technologies in Washington, is a self-described venture architect at Microsoft — leading cross-company initiatives for the next generation of groundbreaking technologies. And he’s certain that the Catholic Church has the blueprint for a better tomorrow.
“When the technology was just coming out, I was astonished that I had coworkers coming to me and asking me what it meant to be human,” said Black. The Silicon Valley space and spiritual space are now intersecting in new ways, he explained, and the church can show the world that we are more than machines.
The Leonum Institute, in partnership with Word on Fire Institute, brought together nationally recognized Catholic faith leaders, technologists and scholars for a three-day summit at Catholic U. Sept. 25-27. Titled “AI and the Meaning of Work,” participants tackled one of the toughest challenges of our day: the impact of artificial intelligence on human creativity and identity.
Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute, said he hoped the gathering would offer “a comprehensive vision of what the world, especially the digital world, looks like, can look like and should look like when we put Christ at the center.”
Interim Provost Chris Evans, a theologian, explained in his opening remarks that Catholic U. is the perfect forum for “exploring not only how AI works but also what it means for the human person.”
“Technology is never neutral because it carries the values of the people who build it. And so the choice before us isn’t whether to use AI; it is whether, as Pope Leo XIV noted in the encyclical ‘Magnificas Humanitas,’ to build a new tower of Babel or a city where God and humanity dwells together,” said Evans, emphasizing his prayer that attendees leave with “sharper questions and greater hope” for the challenge.
In his keynote address, Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia drew from Pope Leo’s teaching to illustrate the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence.
“The task is not to fear technology but to ensure that technological power remains ordered for the dignity and flourishing of the human person,” said Archbishop Gudziak.
And time is of the essence. A tireless advocate for peace in Ukraine, Archbishop Gudziak said the rapid adoption of AI technology in the conflict means that the “future of warfare is not a distant hypothetical. It is already here.”
The nature of AI, not just its applications, affects all aspects of society. The technology has inspired difficult questions about creative ownership, accountability and unforeseen consequences.
“Are there forms of technological power that, because of their potential consequences, should not be developed? These are the questions the church can help society name, examine and discern,” said Archbishop Gudziak. “They require the dialog of theologians and philosophers, scientists, technologists, policymakers and citizens.”
Economist Catherine Pakaluk, executive director of the James Cardinal Gibbons Institute for Human Ecology, drew on workforce disruptions of the past to make the case that “AI won’t change the meaning of work and it won’t change what it means to be human.”
“AI will not replace teamwork any more than tractors replaced farming. Although the number of farmers did fall — I looked — the number of mechanics rose. AI will change the nature of some work for some people.” Simply put, “AI cannot replace the thinking and judgmnt that human work requires.” It is a tool that in the hands of the diligent and the hardworking seems to be tremendously valuable. But in the hands of the lazy and the greedy, tremendously dangerous.”
How do we respond intelligently to the age of artificial intelligence? Presentations from entrepreneurs, educators and innovators explored the question from a practical perspective grounded in their expertise and experience. The program included:
- “Technological Revolutions Old and New: Historical Context for AI”
- Brian Patrick Green, Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif.
- “What is AI and Can It Surpass Human Intelligence?”
- Joseph Vukov, Loyola University Chicago
- The Promise of AI for Workers and the Economy”
- Charbel Simon, Sprintwell in Palo Alto, Calif.
- “The Challenges of AI for Workers and the Economy”
- Mark Ryland, Istari Digital in Arlington
- Nothing Is Being Replaced: An Operator’s View of Delegated Work”
- Professor Lucas E. Wall, Catholic U.
- “Educating for Flourishing: Innovation, Workforce Policy and Competing on Character in the Age of AI”
- Olga Pierrakos, program director, National Science Foundation in Alexandria
- “Weather the Storm or Ride the Wave? Practical Advice for Workers in the Age of AI”
- Taylor Black, The Leonum Institute
In a reflection on the goals of the gathering, Senior Vice Provost for Research H. Joseph Yost said that the symposium was designed to be about more than job security and the economy.
“We did not call it ‘AI and the future of jobs.’ We called it AI and the meaning of work. Meaning that word is at the heart of the matter,” said Yost. With a better understanding not just of what we do, but why we do it, we can direct our actions toward the greater good.
“Our goal is not to leave with every question resolved, but for us to leave thinking more clearly and more humanely than when we arrived,” he said.
