The Algorithm and the Soul: AI, work and human dignity

With the help of AI, Prakarsh Singh examines the ethics of AI – with a little bit of imagined help from some of history’s leading thinkers locking horns in a panel discussion.

Cast:

· Moderator – A Silicon Valley technologist.

· Thomas Aquinas – Medieval theologian and philosopher.

· Voltaire – Enlightenment wit and defender of commerce.

· Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Philosopher of inequality and virtue.

· Sister Maria – Modern Catholic ethicist, speaking from the lens of Catholic Social Teaching.

Act I: Opening Statements

Moderator:
“Welcome, everyone. Our topic today: The Algorithm and the Soul: AI, Work, and Human Dignity. Let’s begin with short statements. Brother Thomas?”

Aquinas:
“AI, like every tool, must serve the common good. To deprive the worker of a just wage is a sin. The dignity of the human person must remain at the centre.”

Voltaire:
“Come now! Let us not mourn. The loom frightened the weaver, the press frightened the scribe — yet both gave birth to prosperity. AI will be no different. Innovation is liberty!”

Rousseau:
“Liberty? You mistake it for dependence. When the machine replaces the craftsman, it strips him not only of his bread but of his pride. It creates masters and slaves anew, only now the master wears the mask of a machine.”

Sister Maria:
“The Church sees truth in all your words. We must welcome human creativity in AI, but regulate it with justice, so no person is discarded as obsolete.”

Act II: The Clash

Moderator:
“Let’s dive deeper. Does AI liberate us or enslave us?”

Voltaire:
(gesturing to the audience of entrepreneurs)
“Look at you! Dreamers, inventors, creators. With AI, you shall free mankind from dull labour. Imagine a future where humans devote themselves to art, science, philosophy! The poor shall eat better, the sick shall heal faster, thanks to your machines.”

Rousseau:
“Dreamers, yes — but of empire, not of liberty! Your machines shall not free the poor, they shall bind them. The ‘future of art’ you promise will belong to the elite who own the algorithms. And the common man? He shall trade his dignity for a gig, a click, a pittance!”

Aquinas:
(raising a hand for calm)
“The truth lies in the ordering of these inventions. Voltaire is right: tools may bring abundance. Rousseau is right: such abundance may corrupt. If AI is used for greed alone, it sins against justice. If it spreads the fruits of knowledge and sustenance, it serves God’s will.”

Sister Maria:
“And thus we see the need for balance: laws, protections, education, and solidarity. Let AI be a servant, not a master. Let no man or woman be reduced to a number in a database.”

Act III: Questions from the Audience

Audience Member 1 (Tech CEO):

“But surely, markets will sort this out! Won’t displaced workers find new jobs, as in past revolutions?”

Voltaire:
“Exactly! The invisible hand, my friend! Where one trade dies, another is born. Trust the genius of commerce.”

Rousseau:
(with scorn)
“Trust commerce? That is like trusting the wolf to guard the sheep. Markets do not heal inequality — they deepen it.”

Aquinas:
“Both wolf and sheep require the shepherd. The market must be guided by justice, lest it devour the weak.”

Sister Maria:
“Yes. The state, civil society, and the Church must ensure retraining, fair wages, and humane policies. Human dignity cannot be left to chance.”

Audience Member 2 (Engineer):
 “If AI can think, do we owe it moral consideration?”

Voltaire:
“Ha! A clever question. If it writes sonnets and solves equations, let us admire it. But do not mistake an abacus for a soul.”

Rousseau:
“Even if the machine thinks, it cannot feel virtue or love. To elevate it above man is to degrade humanity itself.”

Aquinas:
“Indeed. A soul is infused by God alone. Machines, however clever, are tools, not beings. To confuse them with persons is error most grave.”

Sister Maria:
“And yet, how we treat these machines reflects how we treat one another. If AI becomes a way to strip humans of work and worth, then we have sinned, regardless of the machine’s ‘rights.’”

Act IV: Closing Statements

Voltaire:
“Progress cannot be chained. Embrace AI, for it will enrich civilization.”

Rousseau:
“Progress? No, it is corruption dressed as progress. AI shall enslave unless we resist it.”

Aquinas:
“Both progress and corruption lie before us. AI is not evil in itself — but it must be ordered to justice, charity, and the common good.”

Sister Maria:
“The way forward is not fear, nor blind optimism. It is discernment. We must shape AI with solidarity, dignity, and care for the poor. Only then will this machine serve humanity, not master it.”

Moderator:
“Thank you, panelists. The debate continues — in our labs, our laws, and our consciences.”

Prakarsh explains: “This is what Chat GPT came up with on a prompt to stage a dialogue between these thinkers as if they were debating AI in Silicon Valley. I gave it the prompt of the three philosophers but it suggested adding a modern Sister Maria (perhaps to add a contemporary touch and to introduce Catholic Social Teaching).”  

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