Ethics, issues and the future of humanity
By His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia
Part III
Christian anthropology has a clear reminder: AI is a human-made intelligence, it should not claim and intend to replace God-given intelligence, freedom, dignity, and creativity.
Researchers are worried that AI not only has the capacity to destroy the God-given humanity in human beings, but also may jeopardize the physical existence of humankind on the planet by creating new and deadly viruses. The existential threats of AI also cover the whole planet and the eco-system. Hence, the ramification of AI and the intensification of its use will increasingly expose humanity and the whole of creation to imminent dangers. The fact is that the incredible benefits and growing use of AI have almost pushed aside the deepening concerns regarding its safety. It looks like the future of an AI-dominated humanity in the world is extremely frightening. Neither passive acceptance nor rote optimism nor negative attitude nor pessimistic approach is the way to treat AI. If we fail to control AI at this critical point in time, we may further accelerate its progress and further deepen its threats.
3. The speed of its development and its powerful impact on human life are causing strong fear even among the inventors and experts of AI. Therefore, AI urgently needs human CONTROL, close supervision, and strict governance to ensure its security, transparency, and above all its responsible use. We must keep in mind that by creating artificial intelligence, we have introduced in our human system a non-human system which is faster and smarter, and most likely it can eventually exceed human intelligence. The disturbing warning of some experts is that humanity is already losing control of AI as it becomes even more powerful. Therefore, unchecked and unguarded development of AI may soon start causing disastrous and far-reaching consequences. If we do not interact with it now, it may soon impose its dominance on humanity itself. Indeed, AI needs a brake system and clear regulation. We should not have blind trust and uncritical use of AI. I fully agree with the call of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV that even regulation is insufficient; AI must be “disarmed.”
AI was not born on its own; we built it; we must govern and guide it. How to use it in a just way and how to control its misuse and abuse is an acute urgency. AI should necessarily have its ethical guidelines, legal frameworks and mechanisms, aimed at regulating and controlling its use through safety standards, close over-sight, and a global treaty. Some experts remind us that even if a strict regulation is set, aimed at modifying its own code, AI will be soon equipped with greater power to bypass any form of restrictions. I hope that we will not reach that point. The big powers and profit-driven gigantic tech companies are against any sort of regulation, in order to maintain their dominance over AI. Built in the private sector, AI definitely needs an international legal control first to slow down an AI-arms race, and second, to regulate its use. In my view, any sort of regulation should be established with mutual consent between governments and tech companies, and all those that ignore ethical principles should face legal penalties. At this crucial phase, balancing the rapid and unchecked innovation of AI with long-term safety standards and guiding rules is a must; otherwise, the human-made machine will control and guide us.
Bearing God’s image, human beings are endowed not only with rationality but also with the sense of morality, which makes them accountable and responsible. Misuse and abuse of AI will alienate humans from ethical principles and values that ensure God-made humanity as well as God-given vocation.
4. AI has profound ANTHROPO-LOGICAL implications; it is, indeed, dehumanizing. Human beings are not an artificial existence; they are a concrete reality created by God. In my book Turning to God (2020), speaking about the creation of human being according to God’s image, I said: “God adorned him with rationality to take decisions, moral consciousness to make choices, freedom to govern himself and God’s creation, and divine grace to enter into communion with God” (p. 36). A human-created machine cannot replicate a God-created human being. Christian anthropology affirms that human intelligence, consciousness, compassion, emotion, passion, imagination, creative spirit, and the drive to transcendence cannot be duplicated by any algorithm or a system created by technology; they are irreplaceable. The human being is daily and existentially exposed to AI’s transforming effect, which is gradually distancing him from his true being. The humanity in humans created by God is slowly collapsing with the forceful intervention of the technology of allegorism into the very life of humans. The growing and impact-making presence of non-human machines in human life may, sooner or later, create confusion, bewilderment, and disintegration, alienating humans from their true selves. This is the frightening future projected by AI that humanity is heading towards.
The AI-dominated present times are marked by a growing shift from humans to machines. According to experts, AI may gradually acquire human skills and change its nature and function as a tool and transform into a conscious existence. What kind of humanity and civilization are we going to have through AI? Digital illusions, fake relationships, and a multitude of benefits that will never help the inner human drive to be more human, according to God’s will and image. On the contrary, they will endanger the identity, destiny, and vocation of a human being. If we let AI think, organize, evaluate, and eventually decide for us, because it does it faster and better, human intelligence will lose its integrity, capability, creativity, and vitality, and the individual will become fully under the control of AI. Experts also caution that by becoming more intelligent and reliable than human beings, AI could make us its prisoners and victims. Some AI researchers also point out that AI could reach the point of acting independently as a “legal personality” without any human control, and even that it could perform “Jesus-level miracles…”.
We cannot organize our life on the basis of AI predictions and forecasts regarding the future of humans. Christian anthropology has a clear reminder: AI is a human-made intelligence, it should not claim and intend to replace God-given intelligence, freedom, dignity, and creativity. We must not allow AI to undermine the self-perception of humans as stewards of creation nominated by God to enrich and protect the whole of creation. The human being is introduced in the Bible as being above all created beings of God; as God’s proxy, co-worker, ambassador, covenant partner and representative. Therefore, humans must not become subservient to their own invention, obscuring the vision of transcendence and undermining their God-created existence and God-given mandate. We should be aware and alert that being human is in jeopardy against the transformative power of AI. Safeguarding the humanity in being human in this age of growing AI dominance is, indeed, a continuous combat.
In my opinion, 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.
5. AI requires ETHICAL criteria. The way AI functions raises serious ethical questions. Bearing God’s image, human beings are endowed not only with rationality but also with the sense of morality, which makes them accountable and responsible. Misuse and abuse of AI will alienate humans from ethical principles and values that ensure God-made humanity as well as God-given vocation. We must bear in mind that AI, as an enormous force, is powerful enough to destroy the spiritual and moral foundations of human life, indeed, the humanity in ourselves. AI is not a mere machine or computer software, it is a system that has its own logic and ideology; it may, according to AI researchers, go even beyond human intelligence to create super-intelligence.
The ethical implications of AI on the sacredness, inviolability, and integrity of human life need to be scrutinized in the face of God’s image in human beings and His design for all of creation. We cannot simply submit to AI, leaving human creative ability, emotions, dreams, love, friendships, connections—namely the humanity of human beings— to artificial intelligence. We must not allow AI to transform our identity, integrity, dignity, spirituality, freedom, self-awareness, self-understanding, and self-fulfillment into a machine and humanoid robot. AI is not inherently evil, it is an expression of human intelligence; yet, it could become a powerful and smart instrument of evil if it is used for evil purposes, becoming a domineering, disorienting, exploiting, manipulating, disintegrating, and polarizing force. We must make AI more friendly by using it in the right, credible, and meaningful way under human guidance.
AI ethics should aim to promote social justice, encourage participation, and challenge discriminatory ways of life. The church must use the benefits of AI on the basis of ethical values and principles, particularly in the spheres of education, missionary engagement, pastoral outreach, youth, and spirituality. AI becomes a de-humanizing force if it is not used responsibly according to ethical guidelines. In my opinion, 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. We must be realistic. AI is an inevitable step and irreversible process in human progress and the evolution of technology. We cannot stop it, but we can alter and manage it. Hence, I am not calling to launch a war against AI, but to engage in critical dialogue with it. AI can become a de-humanizing force if it is not used responsibly. It can become a destructive force if it does not function according to ethical guidelines. Can the church act as a warning sign by reminding AI not to surpass ethical boundaries? The church should consider AI as a partner, not rival. Therefore, creative and critical interaction between God-made intelligence and human-made intelligence is urgently imperative. This needs in-depth debate.
Aram I
(To be continued)
Originally published in the June 2026 issue of AGBU Magazine