Can Catholic Authors Use AI? A Look at Pope Leo's Encyclical

Pope Leo XIV just dropped a 42,000-word encyclical on artificial intelligence, and it contains the most nuanced case for cautious AI use we've seen from any major institution, religious or secular.

I listened to the entire encyclical, and, as a Protestant, I agreed with much of what the Pope had to say. This month’s episode is actually a segment of my news show on YouTube called Author Update. Each week, my cohost Jonathan Shuerger and I cover publishing news and topics related to the cultural zeitgeist. In last week’s zeitgeist segment, we unpacked and analyzed parts of the Pope’s recently released encyclical. It covered many topics, but the one getting the most press is the section on AI.  

I wanted to know, “Can I, in good conscience, market my Patron Toolbox (which is a suite of AI tools, to my Catholic listeners?”

In this week’s episode, we discuss AI and its intersection with the official statement of the Catholic church and how it impacts Catholic authors.