Immaculate Kisembo | the Future of Our World in an Age of Robotics and Revolutionary Technologies | 30th Dec, 2025
As young people, we are at a pivotal point in history. With rapid advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, we must ask whether these technologies will serve humanity and enhance our future, or threaten our values, faith, mental well-being, and environment. Our choices will determine whether technology upholds or undermines human dignity.
From an African and Catholic youth perspective, addressing this question is urgent. Our cultures value community and respect for life, reminding us that technology must serve humanity, not replace it. As the Laudato Youth Initiative, we believe enthusiasm for innovation must be guided by responsibility, ethical discernment, and faith. Only then can technology support the common good rather than threaten it.
Pope Francis reminds us that technological progress is not neutral. He warns that “technological products are not neutral, for they create a framework which ends up conditioning lifestyles” (Francis, 2015, para. 107). This insight challenges us to ask not only what technology can do, but what it is doing to us, to our relationships, our values, and our planet.
As AI and robotics progress, both the Church and society must increase awareness. We young people must carefully seek guidance from Church teachings on the ethical use of technology, focusing on human dignity, work, and the environment. This responsibility extends beyond experts; young people must also participate. Our Laudato Si’ Clubs are trying to provide spaces for education and dialogue about the impact of technology on our future, and this year we hope to do more.
Our vision for the future must include a healthy environment, just social systems, and technologies that unite rather than divide. Pope Francis emphasises that care for the Earth and for humanity are inseparable, stating, “There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself” (Francis, 2015, para. 118).
Long before the rise of AI, Pope Leo XIII addressed the social impacts of technological and industrial change. In Rerum Novarum, he insisted that economic and technological progress must always respect the dignity of workers and the common good, noting that human labour must never be treated as a mere tool for production (Leo XIII, 1891). This teaching remains relevant as automation and robotics increasingly replace human labor. Many young people are concerned about their parents’ future and their own employment. Pope Leo XIV also emphasised the need to guide new generations in their relationship with new technologies and artificial intelligence, calling for broad participation in these efforts during the Conference “Artificial Intelligence and Care for Our Common Home” on December 5, 2025.
Artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming nearly every aspect of life, including work, learning, communication, and relationships. Human development relies on strong connections with family, teachers, friends, and communities. When technology weakens these bonds, it can hinder our growth.
In many developed countries, AI-driven automation is rapidly replacing jobs, raising concerns about unemployment, inequality, and social exclusion (Brynjolfsson & McAfee, 2014). Without ethical frameworks and fair policies, technological progress may widen the gap between those who benefit from innovation and those left behind.
We believe these warnings and teachings must not be ignored. As young people, we should work together to educate one another about the ethical use of technology. If innovation is grounded in love, justice, and care for our world, technology can support human dignity and the common good. Otherwise, it risks shaping a future that loses sight of our humanity.
References
Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The second machine age: Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies. W. W. Norton & Company.
Francis. (2015). Laudato Si’: On care for our common home. Vatican Press.
Leo XIII. (1891). Rerum Novarum: On capital and labour. Vatican Press.
Leo XIVhttps://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-xiv-artificial-intelligence-young-society-technology.html
