Over the past year, artificial intelligence has gone from being a niche topic to a mainstream conversation.

Every week seems to bring a new announcement, a new capability, or a new prediction about how dramatically our lives are about to change. Some forecasts are exciting. Others are unsettling. In reality, most of us are still trying to work out what it all means.

Last week, Pope Leo XIV entered the conversation with Magnifica Humanitas, his debut encyclical on artificial intelligence and its implications for society.

What struck me most was that the document is far less concerned with AI itself than with the people using it.

The pope is clearly not anti-technology. In fact, he explicitly recognises that technological progress has improved human life throughout history. His concern is what happens when we become so focused on what technology can do, that we stop asking what it is for.

One of the most memorable parts of the encyclical is the contrast he draws between two biblical images: the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

At Babel, humanity comes together to build a remarkable tower reaching towards the heavens. The problem is not the ambition or ingenuity itself, but the belief that human beings can build a future entirely on their own terms. The project becomes centred on power, control, uniformity, and self-sufficiency.

Jerusalem presents a very different picture. The city is rebuilt through shared responsibility. Families, workers, leaders, and communities each play their part. Progress comes through cooperation, relationship, and a commitment to the common good.

For Leo XIV, these are not simply ancient stories. They offer two different visions for how society approaches technological change. One is built around power and self-sufficiency. The other around relationship and shared responsibility. Ultimately, the distinction lies not in what is being built, but in what it is being built for.

Throughout the encyclical, he returns to a simple idea: human beings flourish through relationships.

Community. Responsibility. Friendship. Care. Love.

I'm sure these words don't feature prominently in discussions about artificial intelligence, yet they are among the things that make us most deeply human.

Reading the document, I found myself reflecting on many of the conversations we have been having through MyFaith over the past year.

Across society, people are looking for guidance, belonging, and meaningful connection. Many are asking questions about faith, purpose, and spirituality. Many are also feeling disconnected from traditional institutions and unsure where to turn when life becomes difficult.

Technology increasingly sits in the middle of that experience.

It is often the first place people go when they have a question. It is how they communicate, learn, seek support, and explore new ideas. Yet very few people are hoping technology will replace genuine human relationships. If anything, the rise of AI seems to be reminding us all how valuable those relationships are.

Much of the public conversation around AI is focused on capability. How quickly will it improve? Which jobs will change? What should be regulated? How much can be automated?

Magnifica Humanitas approaches the conversation from a different angle. Rather than focusing primarily on capability, it asks what technological progress means for human dignity, relationships, responsibility, and the common good.

Will technology leave people feeling more isolated or more connected? Will it strengthen communities or weaken them? Will it help people access guidance, support, and meaningful relationships, or simply make existing interactions more efficient?

These questions feel particularly relevant in a world where many people are already struggling with loneliness, uncertainty, and a lack of belonging. Technological progress can make life easier in countless ways, but it cannot satisfy the very human need to be known, understood, and cared for by other people. Nor can it provide the sense of meaning that many are still searching for.

That is where I think the pope’s message is particularly relevant for faith communities. The churches that thrive will continue to be those that help people feel known, supported, challenged, and connected to something bigger than themselves.

Technology has an important role to play here. It can make faith leaders more accessible, help people find trusted guidance, lower the barrier for someone exploring faith for the first time, and create new pathways into community.

At MyFaith, we are not interested in creating AI pastors or replacing communities with digital alternatives. We believe technology can play an important role in helping people discover real faith leaders, real conversations, and real communities.

What stayed with me after reading the encyclical was the image of Babel and Jerusalem.

The question facing us is not whether technology will continue to advance – because it will. The more important question is what we choose to build with it. Will it help us find belonging, build relationships, and strengthen communities? Or will it leave us feeling increasingly disconnected from one another?

For all the discussion about artificial intelligence, that may be one of the most human questions we can ask.