I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy “the best things in life” without AI, which will probably boost money-making operations way more than creative ones, since even friends can’t tell my photos from fakes [1] I believe that creativity plays a miniscule role in money making (which makes the world go round) especially since Steve Jobs departed. And look who’s raking it in. You know their names. Creative as a 4 function calculator.
You might be interested in what the Vatican (really, Pope Francis) says about AI. It’s quite interesting less the theology. [0]
Highlights:
116. Since a “person’s perfection is measured not by the information or knowledge they possess, but by the depth of their charity,”[212] how we incorporate AI “to include the least of our brothers and sisters, the vulnerable, and those most in need, will be the true measure of our humanity.”[213] The “wisdom of the heart” can illuminate and guide the human-centered use of this technology to help promote the common good, care for our “common home,” advance the search for the truth, foster integral human development, favor human solidarity and fraternity, and lead humanity to its ultimate goal: happiness and full communion with God.[214]
[212] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (19 March 2018), par. 37: AAS 110 (2018), 1121.
[213] Francis, Message for the LVII World Day of Peace (1 January 2024), par. 6: L’Osservatore Romano, 14 December 2023, 3. Cf. Id., Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), par. 112: AAS 107 (2015), 892-893; Id., Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (19 March 2018), par. 46: AAS 110 (2018), 1123-1124.
[214] Cf. Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), par. 112: AAS 107 (2015), 892-893.
I find “wisdom of the heart” in extremely short supply these days, and the least of our brothers and sisters victimized and deported without due process, rather than helped.
[0] https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/docu...
And you’re absolutely right—the best things in life rarely run on silicon. Though, if someone does teach a language model to tune a Baby Grand, I’d subscribe to that repo just for the README.
As for theology and technology: there’s something timeless in what you quoted from Pope Francis. I’m reminded of another text—the Ladder of Divine Ascent by Saint John Climacus (7th century). He speaks of διάκρισις—discernment—as the highest spiritual faculty. Maybe that’s what we lack when our friends can’t tell real photos from fakes.
My project AntA.I.os is actually rooted in myth too—Antaeus, who lost his power when lifted off the Earth. For me, the Earth here means context, ethics, and culture. When we create—or compute—without grounding, we drift.
So whether AI brings us closer to the “common good” or just a sharper business model might depend not on the tools, but on who’s holding them—and why.
Thanks again for the Vatican link. Nothing like sacred scrolls and system prompts side by side.
tsevis•8mo ago
Why "grounded creativity" (rooted in real-world experience) matters more than ever How AI can enhance—not replace—human creativity Practical ways to stay original in an age of synthetic content
Thoughts? Would love to hear the HN perspective.