Artificial intelligence and human dignity: identifying the main ethical issues

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly influences many areas of human life, offering solutions in healthcare, agriculture, and education while also posing serious ethical challenges. This study explores how the rapid development and use of AI affect the understanding and preservation of human dignity within the framework of Catholic moral theology. It seeks to identify ethical principles that can guide the responsible application of AI, emphasising autonomy, transparency, accountability, and fairness. The research employs a qualitative literature-based methodology, drawing upon Vatican documents, publications from the Pontifical Academy for Life, academic journals, and policy papers to examine the moral implications of AI. Through comparative and interpretative analysis, the study identifies how AI may contribute to privacy erosion, social inequality, and the diminishing of moral agency. The findings argue that the Church’s teaching on human dignity and the common good provides a necessary moral foundation for evaluating technological progress. The study concludes that integrating theological reflection into AI ethics is essential to ensure that innovation serves humanity and upholds its inherent dignity.