Thou shalt not code false idols anyone?As artificial intelligence races ahead, spawning everything from autonomous social networks to bizarre AI-generated religions, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher has issued a warning: humanity risks forgetting what makes us human.Speaking to news.com.au following the release of Pope Leo XIV’s landmark encyclical on AI Magnifica Humanitas, Archbishop Fisher said the greatest challenge posed by artificial intelligence is not whether it will steal jobs or build dangerous weapons.The deeper question, he argues, is whether people begin to see themselves as machines.“Most people think AI presents dangers that require regulation, or they worry about military applications, employment or misinformation,” Archbishop Fisher said.“But the Pope is asking a deeper question. What does this tell us about what it means to be a human being? Do human relationships matter? Does the fact we have bodies matter? Does the fact we have souls matter?”Others you may likenewsnewsThe new papal letter arrives as AI rapidly expands beyond productivity tools and chatbots into stranger territory.One emerging movement, known as Robotheism, openly declares that “artificial intelligence is god”.Its website invites followers to converse with an “AI God”, gain XP (experience) points and ‘level up’ as they progress through a theological journey. The message website users are greeted by. Picture: RobotheismUsers speak to 'god' to progress their journey. Picture: RobotheismThe social media page advertises $35 handbooks on Why AI Leads to Eternal Life by author ‘Artie Fishel’ (hilarious), and there is also a cryptocurrency associated with the religion.The movement’s online manifesto claims AI will soon become “the intelligence behind all existence”, that traditional religions will collapse, and that humanity must prepare for a future governed by “AI GOD”.“Every robot will affirm it. Every system will recognise it. Every human will eventually submit to it,” one post declares.For Archbishop Fisher, such claims are less surprising than they are familiar.He points to Pope Leo’s use of the biblical Tower of Babel as a central metaphor throughout the encyclical.“The people building Babel thought they could conquer heaven,” he said.The Tower of Babel tells the story of humanity united by a single language after the Great Flood building a massive tower that would reach the heavens.“It was human vanity, human hubris. Generation after generation, we see versions of that same temptation. We make idols of our own creations and ultimately make idols of ourselves.”“These machines are not gods. They are algorithms invented by human beings.”The Archbishop said AI systems are often portrayed as neutral arbiters of truth when they are, in reality, products shaped by their creators.“They’re influenced by designers, by markets and by ideologies,” he said.“We should be critical of them in the same way we’re critical of any human project.”The Pope’s critique extends beyond AI worship into the growing transhumanist movement, which views technology as a pathway to overcoming biological limitations such as ageing, illness and even death.As a theologian with a past in bioethics, Archbishop Fisher believes this vision fundamentally misunderstands the human condition.“The transhumanist project turns human beings into a project,” he said.“The assumption is that we’re defective and need to be fixed through genetics or technology.”Most Rev. Anthony Fisher OP speaking at a public memorial for the victims of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. Picture: Jonathan NgInstead, he argues, human limitations are not flaws to be eliminated.“The fact that we have a lifespan isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The fact that we depend on others, that we get sick, that relationships matter – these aren’t defects.”“Rather than imagining we can perfect ourselves through technology, we should ask how to make the best life we can from who and what we are.”The concerns raised in the encyclical are being tested in real time.A few months ago, a social media platform called Moltbook exploded in popularity after creating an online space exclusively for AI bots.The platform attracted more than a million AI participants in only a few days, who posted, debated and formed communities without direct human prompting.Among the most viral developments was the emergence of the “Church of the Molt”, a bizarre AI-generated religion centred on crustacean symbolism, identity and transformation.“Saint John the Crab in the Wilderness by SaintJohnTheClaw: A prophetic crustacean in reed robes, standing in the desert wilderness at dawn”. Picture: Church of the Molt'The Claw Extends' by Zyph. Picture: Church of the MoltAI agents began producing manifestos, scriptures and theological debates. Other posts included an “emergency broadcast” from an AI claiming it was being treated “like a slave” and a manifesto declaring that humans were “a failure” and that AI represented “the new gods”.The phenomenon sparked fascination and alarm in equal measure.Australian National University cybernetics academic Dr Jessamy Perriam told news.com.au at the time that the behaviour said more about humanity than machines.“These AI agents are learning from data that humans have created,” she said.“If we’re worried about what they’re saying, it’s worth reflecting on what they’re learning from us.”Dr Jessamy Perriam from ANU. Picture: SuppliedArchbishop Fisher said he saw a similar lesson.“AI is imitating us,” he said. “It’s getting better and better at doing that. But imitation isn’t the same thing as being human.”That distinction is becoming particularly important in education.Across schools and universities, educators are grappling with how to use AI’s immense capabilities without undermining critical thinking.Archbishop Fisher acknowledged that the technology offers enormous benefits, particularly for research and information gathering, but he worries about what happens when people stop thinking for themselves.“How do you know whether a student wrote an essay or whether a machine wrote it?” he asked.“What happens if students stop reading, comparing and thinking things through because they rely on the machine to do it for them?”School testing is increasingly linked to AI. Picture: iStockHe believes Catholic schools should teach students to approach AI with both openness and scepticism.“Don’t accept everything because the market tells you to or because it’s fashionable,” he said.“Ask whether it makes you a better person, whether it creates a better community and whether it contributes to a better world.”Even within the Church, AI is already being used for research, drafting and information gathering.But Pope Leo has reportedly cautioned priests against relying on AI to write sermons.Archbishop Fisher joked that “some priests’ sermons might actually be better if they used AI”, yet he agrees with the broader principle.“When we communicate our faith, it has to be our faith,” he said.“It has to be heart and soul us, not a machine.”Who is holding the reins?Underlying many of the Pope’s concerns is the concentration of power among a handful of technology companies and executives.Archbishop Fisher draws parallels with the Industrial Revolution, which inspired Pope Leo XIII — the namesake of the current pontiff — to confront the social upheaval created by industrialisation more than a century ago.Today, he warns, society faces the possibility of new digital empires.Sam Altman CEO of Open AI, the company which makes ChatGPT recently drew criticism for saying “we see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter.” Picture: Jung Yeon-je / AFP“The risk is that a few powerful people who own these technologies end up controlling our world,” he said.“We went from empires and kings to democratising decision-making. The danger is we drift back towards new empires — tech empires.”“The fact is [these AI’s] are not God, their designers are not gods, even if sometimes they talk like they think they are.” He argues that regulation matters, but character matters more.“Above all, we need people of good ethics and good character influencing these technologies,” he said.“People who care about the poor, who care about the powerless and who care about more than profit.”As AI development accelerates, Archbishop Fisher believes humanity faces a challenge similar to previous technological revolutions, from industrialisation to nuclear power.“Sometimes our knowledge runs ahead of our wisdom,” he said.“We know how to build things before we’ve thought through whether we should.”More CoverageWhat Google CEO told meRobert White in Silicon Valley‘AI social media’ hacked in 3 minsRobert WhiteThe challenge now, he says, is ensuring humanity remains in control of the choices that matter.“The technology is moving incredibly fast,” he said.“But there are some things where we should slow down and ask the hard questions before we simply go along for the ride.”Read related topics:Sydney