Antiqua et Nova: Catholic Perspectives on Artificial and Human Intelligence, Freedom, and Agency

Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly toward the technological goal of imitating human intelligence. With improved anthropomorphic features and increasingly powerful, autonomous, decision-making capabilities, current instances of artificial intelligence accentuate important theological and ethical concerns. These existing issues include the definitions of human and artificial intelligence as well as whether AI possesses the freedom to make independent decisions along with the ability to accept responsibility for intended or unintended consequences. In early 2025, the Vatican released a document addressing these questions. Written by members from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Antiqua et Nova, a Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, examines the anthropological and ethical challenges introduced by AI regarding human and artificial intelligence, freedom, and agency.

Aptly named, Antiqua et Nova combines ancient theological wisdom with Catholic Church tradition to address new challenges involving the relationship between human and artificial intelligence. The document does not express definitive Catholic Church teaching on AI. Instead, it invites reflection about the relationship between human and artificial intelligence and offers suggestions on how both forms of intelligence can affirm human dignity and contribute to the common good. Antiqua et Nova asserts that differences between human and artificial intelligence exist, however, these distinctions need not be divisive. In fact, the Church advocates a positive association by presenting the idea of relational intelligence in Antiqua et Nova. As a holistic framework, relational intelligence contributes theological perspectives on intelligence, augments secular ethical views with religious notions of human freedom, and clarifies moral agency within an increasingly integrated human-AI world.

This presentation assesses what contributions the recent Vatican document Antiqua et Nova, a Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, provides regarding human and artificial intelligence, freedom, and agency. Thus, the presentation begins by describing the concept of intelligence and by explaining the significant differences between artificial intelligence and human intelligence stated in the 2025 Vatican Note, Antiqua et Nova. Next, the presentation provides an integral understanding of human intelligence by utilizing Catholic philosophical, theological, and anthropological perspectives combined with ideas of rationality, embodiment, and relationality. These concepts often are associated with personal freedom, which is open to the truth, to others, and to the world. The presentation then discusses specific existing limitations of artificial intelligence, including the absence of moral agency, embodied experiences, and authentic relationality.

Along with an understanding of intelligence, the presentation also emphasizes the importance of ethics during the development and use of AI. Although artificial intelligence possesses limited autonomous decision-making capabilities, the Vatican Note asserts that AI does not possess free will or moral discernment and therefore is not responsible for any subsequent consequences affecting various aspects of society or influencing human relationships with God, others, and the world. As moral agents possessing dignity and freedom of choice, humans are accountable for applying their intelligence and discernment to the design, development, and use of artificial intelligence as well as being responsible for all intended or unintended results. Hence, AI design, development, and implementation should include human oversight and ethical components such as transparency, trust, fairness, reliability, and regulations to ensure security and data privacy.

The presentation then evaluates human and artificial intelligence utilizing the concept of relational intelligence proposed in Antiqua et Nova. As an ethical framework, relational intelligence enhances existing secular approaches to AI by including moral and theological considerations, which emphasize human dignity and well-being. Relational intelligence also encourages positive, cooperative human-AI relationships that value the importance of communal responsibilities directed toward the common good. And finally, in the interest of fairness, because the Vatican Note critiques artificial intelligence, the presentation concludes with entertaining, yet sometimes critical, generative AI evaluations of Antiqua et Nova.