Ein interdisziplinärer Dialog mit Magnifica humanitas

Künstliche Intelligenz (KI), Verantwortung und Menschenwürde zwischen säkularer Rechtsordnung und theologischer Sozialethik

Abstract

The rapid development of generative AI is currently transforming not only technical and economic structures, but is increasingly also touching upon fundamental anthropological, legal, ethical, and theological questions of modern societies. Systems that can formulate, analyze, simulate, and prepare decisions create the impression that human judgment may be functionally substitutable. At the same time, however, awareness is growing that normative responsibility, moral judgment, and personal dignity cannot simply be delegated to technical systems.

The present article attempts to analyze this tension in a concise manner, both from a secular and a religious perspective, in the context of the encyclical “Magnifica humanitas,” published on May 25, 2026, by Pope Leo XIV. It shows that key elements of modern AI governance—above all “human-in-the-loop” concepts (keyword: AI Act), requirements of ultimate human responsibility, and human-centered AI regulation—correspond in a remarkable way with the anthropological assumptions of the papal encyclical. This convergence does not lie in shared theological premises, but in a shared delineation against the functional reduction of the human being.

The article argues that the irreplaceability of the human being already follows from secular considerations of the rule of law and ethical reasoning. AI systems can indeed simulate capabilities and optimize processes, but they possess neither personal responsibility nor moral judgment nor genuine experiential perspectives. Therefore, the human remains the bearer of normative responsibility and the indispensable center of legitimate decision-making orders. In this respect, the encyclical proves to be not primarily a technocritical document, but rather an anthropological contribution to the global debate on the limits of algorithmic rationalization.