Priest says Mass attendees face pivotal choice

A priest told Mass attendees they face a pivotal choice regarding the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

Randall Smith noted that while artificial intelligence presents new difficulties, the choices facing humanity are similar to those faced throughout history. Smith suggested that some people view the current era as a completely new age due to interpretations of the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution on the Modern World, Gaudium et spes.

In Gaudium et spes, the Council fathers described the human race as being in a new stage of history marked by rapid changes. However, the document also warned that such transformations bring serious difficulties, noting that humans do not always successfully direct their increasing power toward their own welfare. The Council fathers identified several major problems during their time, including starvation, lack of educational resources, the destructive power of atomic weapons, and increased atheism.