CATHOLICOS ARAM I REFLECTS ON PROMISES AND THREATS OF AI

In a wide-ranging article, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I discusses artificial intelligence, warning that the rapid advance of AI presents both extraordinary opportunities and profound challenges for humanity. Writing in the latest issue of AGBU Magazine, the Catholicos argues that AI should be viewed neither with uncritical enthusiasm nor with outright rejection, but through the lenses of Christian values and ethics. 

In the article, titled “AI: A Promise or a Threat? Ethics, Issues and the Future of Humanity,” His Holiness notes that his concern with technology predates the current AI revolution. He recalls writing as early as 2000 that “technology is both a promise and a threat,” and stresses that technological development must always reflect “the sacredness and integrity of human life and the vital importance of ethical values.” Throughout the essay, he returns to the question of what it means to be human in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. 

The Catholicos acknowledges the immense benefits of AI in education, science, communication, and daily life, but warns against allowing human beings to become dependent upon or subordinate to the technologies they have created. “The human mind creates, AI only analyzes,” he writes. “The human mind decides; AI implements,” he writes, emphasizing that artificial intelligence, however powerful, cannot replace the God-given capacities of the human person. 

A central theme of the article is the need for ethical oversight and international regulation. His Holiness cautions that AI is becoming a new form of power capable of reshaping societies, economies, and even human self-understanding. Echoing concerns expressed by leading AI researchers and religious leaders alike, he argues for proper governance. “AI needs a brake system and clear regulation,” he writes. “We should not have blind trust and uncritical use of AI.” He also expresses agreement with Pope Leo XIV that artificial intelligence needs to be “disarmed.”  

While warning of the dangers of dehumanization, the Catholicos urges the Church to engage critically and constructively with AI. “The church’s approach should not be one of resisting, but engaging in dialogue, not being reactive, but proactive, a supporter and, at the same time, a critic of AI,” he writes. Concluding on a hopeful note, His Holiness calls upon humanity to ensure that artificial intelligence serves for humanity’s progress while safeguarding the dignity, freedom, and spiritual vocation of the person, created in the image of God. 

You may read the full article here.