Artificial Intelligence and Global Warming/Climate Change are worldwide existential threats that cannot be solved by individual countries nor individual corporations. These are global problems and must have a world wide cooperative and collaborative effort to deal with. Pope Leo XIV just addressed this in his “Magnifica Humanita” Encyclical. He makes the key point that humans and the human spirit is magnificent, are expression of our divine Souls and Spirits, and that regardless of how exalted the “intelligence” of AI, Artificial Intelligence, becomes it will never become human with soul, spirit, conscience, or real human depth and sensitivities. From the Encyclical he warns that the world must collaborate to take responsibility for the unfathomable powers that AI will become:
“ In the past, it was largely up to the State to guide and direct innovation. Today, however, the main drivers of development are private, often transnational, parties that are endowed with resources and the capacity to intervene that surpass those of many Governments. Technological power thus takes on an unprecedented, predominantly “private” aspect, which makes it even more challenging to discern, govern and direct such power toward the common good.”
He then recounts the story of Nehemiah who coordinated a collaborative repair:
“ The narrative shows how the city is reborn, not through the initiative of one man, but through the shared responsibility of all: men, women, priests, artisans, heads of households and young people all play a part. It is an undertaking with God at the center, which rebuilds relationships before rebuilding with stones. Thus, ancient Jerusalem rediscovers a common language — not one of uniformity, but one of communion, namely the harmony that arises when all persons assume their own role”
The other threat to human welfare and even survival is worldwide environmental assault. The seas keep getting warmer and catastrophic fires and floods and heat domes and blizzards and hurricanes and sea level rises and toxic air and toxic water. We are abusing the environment. And it is good that some counties are taking leads in environmental care, but this is something the world needs to work together to deal with.
Tragically, Trump and MAGA are in the grips of a terrible idea - America First. And nowhere is this toxic idea more harmful than America’s domination by the fossil fuel industry which doesn’t just protect fire burning and polluting oil and gas but uses its captured Republican Party to destroy as much green energy projects and research as they can. So, the world’s leading polluter pollutes, and stops technologies working on reducing the filth.
Both of these world wide problems need world wide solutions, collaborative solutions. Not countries against each other, but countries working together. We did it once on a very, very big problem: the ozone hole. The world worked together to eliminate chemicals, chlorofluorocarbons, causing the ozone hole. And it is working. Bravo.
We can do it. We did it. We need to do it again.
Wouldn’t it be nice if America once again took the lead on healing the world, rather than destroying the world?
