Navigating AI with Faith and Wisdom

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere.

It's helping us write emails, plan events, analyze data, create graphics, and run our businesses more efficiently than ever before. In fact, I used AI to help me organize my thoughts for this blog. As a Catholic businesswoman, you may feel both excitement and uncertainty around AI. Like me, you may have thoughts such as: Is this cheating? Is this authentic? Can it be trusted?

So, how do we embrace this new innovation while remaining faithful to our values? The world is moving toward AI, and we can move with it but in a way that always reflects our faith, morals, and love for others.

Pope Leo XIV recently released his first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. His writing is a reminder that technology is a gift, but it is not and never will be our savior. It is a tool we can use to enhance our lives in different areas, but it should never rule them.

He writes that humanity faces a choice: "Will we build a new Tower of Babel, where technology becomes a monument to power and pride, or will we build a world where innovation serves the dignity of every human person?"

In Catholic social teaching, we seek to protect the dignity of the human person in many different ways. As AI gains popularity and becomes mainstream, you and I will need to protect that dignity more than ever.

As Catholic women, we know our value is not found in productivity, efficiency, or achievement. Our dignity and true identity come from being beloved daughters of God. The same is true for everyone we encounter in business; employees, customers, clients, and communities. AI should never cause us to forget that people are not projects, numbers, or data points to be discarded or overlooked. Instead, they are people worthy of love and respect. St. JoseMaría Escrivá said, "Work is born of love; it manifests love and is directed toward love." 

The good news is that Pope Leo is not anti-technology. He encourages us to use these tools wisely, creatively, and ethically. AI can free us from repetitive tasks so we have more time for what matters most: building relationships, serving others, and pursuing the work God has entrusted to us.

To do this, you and I will need to learn about AI and thoughtfully discern how to incorporate it into our work, keeping our faith at the forefront of every decision.

As a Catholic business woman, perhaps the question isn't, "Should I use AI?"

Instead, you might ask:

• Does this technology help me love people better?

• Does it protect the dignity of those I serve?

• Does it create more space for creativity, compassion, and human connection?

• Am I using AI as a tool, or am I allowing it to shape my identity and values?

The future isn't about choosing between faith and technology. It's about bringing our faith into the technology we use.

At the Nashville Catholic Business Women's League, our mission is to connect, grow, and serve in our diocese and surrounding communities. AI can coexist beautifully in our work when Christ remains at the center. At our July meeting, we are excited to explore AI and how to use it faithfully in your business. Our guest speaker will be Kim Higdon, our NCBWL Communications Chair and owner of Kim2design. Kim helps businesses grow with smart and simple digital marketing with the support of AI. Kim will share her wisdom, practical tips for using AI effectively, and ways to incorporate it into your work that foster both business growth and faithfulness to your values.

Here is the truth: You can have the best and most up-to-date technology, but the human heart remains God's greatest masterpiece. When you work and serve from the heart, you give glory to God and advance His Kingdom. 

I leave you with this thought:

AI may help us work faster, but only love helps us live better.

Technology can imitate intelligence, but it can never replace wisdom, compassion, or the dignity of the human person. AI is not a substitute for personal connections you have with co-workers, clients, and the people you serve.

Jennie Guinn is passionate about helping Catholic women heal, grow, and rediscover joy after life's deepest disappointments. As the founder of Catholic Moms in the Middle, she creates spaces through podcasts, retreats, speaking engagements, and coaching where women can encounter Christ, share their stories, and realize they are not alone. Jennie believes that even in the most painful seasons, God is writing a story of restoration, and the middle is often where grace does its most beautiful work.