mediadev library

Filter

134

Sort by:

Direction:

External Link (84)

Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence

Leo XIV (Pope)

Vatican City: Holy See (2026)

"Divided into five chapters, Magnifica humanitas has an underlying premise: technology is not “a force antagonistic to humanity” (paragraph 4), nor is it “inherently evil” (9). However, “technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regu ... late, and use it. Therefore, Pope Leo XIV appeals for people to build “for the common good” and to “remain human,” following a courageous mentality of shared responsibility and communion, so that the world “will come to recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell” (16). [...] An ethical code for AI: The third chapter—Technology and Dominance. The Grandeur of Humanity in Light of the Promises of AI stresses the need to approach artificial intelligence with vigilance. Pope Leo warns about the “technocratic paradigm” already denounced by Pope Francis and how it can require that every choice be dictated exclusively by measuring efficiency and profits (92). On the contrary, the most powerful technology is not necessarily the best. AI can imitate and simulate the person, but it does not possess a moral conscience, empathy, or affective, relational or spiritual capabilities. The Pope urges clarity about responsibilities and accountability at every stage of the development process, focusing on adequate AI policies and legal frameworks, independent oversight, and user education. Above all, Pope Leo calls for an ethical code subject to shared standards of social justice, because “a more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few” (107). Nor, he adds, should the environmental impact of new technologies be overlooked, since they require large quantities of energy and water, affecting Creation (101). Disarming AI: AI must be “disarmed,” Pope Leo XIV continues, in order to free it from the mentality of military, economic, and cognitive competition. “To disarm means discrediting the assumption that technical power automatically confers the right to govern,” he says. “To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity” (110). He devotes ample space to a critique of transhumanism and posthumanism, which interpret progress as the overcoming of human limits. Instead, limitations are not defects to be eliminated, but a constitutive dimension of the human person, because it is in fragility and finitude that relationship and openness to God and to others mature. He says we must remember that “humanity flourishes not despite limitations, but often through them” (118). Technological progress without regression of the heart: Pursuing technological innovation at the expense of eliminating human limitations, he says, would cause an anthropological regression. “Humanity—in all its grandeur and woundedness—must never be replaced or surpassed,” he says. Technology can alleviate humanity’s sufferings and open new possibilities, but it must not deny the essence of humanity, which is our “capacity for relationship and love” (126). In the face of AI, says the Pope, “the true alternative is not between enthusiasm and fear, but between two paths of development: a progress that serves individuals and peoples, or a progress that subjects them to the mentality of power” (129). An ecology of communication and the centrality of schools: In the fourth chapter—Safeguarding Humanity at a Time of Transformation. Truth, Work, Freedom—the Pope calls for an “ecology of communication” based on truth. He urges transparency in how content is selected, protection of personal data, serious journalism founded on argumentation and verification, a new awareness in the “proper and critical” use of digital tools, and the integration of different forms of knowledge. The Church must also embody transparent and honest communication, especially in cases of injustice and abuse. The Pope also appeals for a renewed educational alliance, so that the “desire to ask questions” may not be extinguished in young people by perfect machines that make human thought seem useless (140). Pope Leo XIV, therefore, calls for renewed attention to schools as places where people learn to “seek and love the truth” (147). The dignity of work: In the “fourth industrial revolution” represented by the digital transition, the Pope emphasizes the importance of protecting the dignity of work by designing systems centered on the person and not only on performance. “The ‘new ways’ of working are not necessarily better,” he writes, “while AI promises to boost productivity by taking over mundane tasks, it frequently forces workers to adapt to the speed and demands of machines, rather than machines being designed to support those who work” (150). Technology can certainly free human beings from burdensome or repetitive tasks, but it must not lead to unemployment in the name of reducing costs and increasing profit. In this regard, the Pope expresses his hopes for a renewal of labor organizations (155). Peace and development: Pope Leo then notes the need to move beyond GDP as the measure of a country’s level of development, focusing instead on the dignity of work, shared prosperity, the reduction of inequalities, and environmental protection. Finance, he says, must focus on the development, creation, and evolution of work (159-160). Following in the footsteps of Pope St. Paul VI, the encyclical underscores the interdependence between peace and development. It calls for international cooperation capable of defining shared strategies, especially in favor of the most vulnerable countries and groups, because prosperity contributes to peace “only if it is widespread, inclusive, and sustainable” (163). The family, “primary social good”: The Pope upholds the role of the family, saying it is founded on the stable union between a man and a woman. The family is a “primary social good” and the “fundamental and irreplaceable cell of every community organization” (165), which must be supported, including through labor policies that favor stability and humane rhythms, so as to protect society’s ability to “build the future.” ‘Architecture of visibility’ and risks for freedom: Pope Leo XIV then discusses the theme of human freedom in an age when digital platforms are designed to capture users’ time and exploit their vulnerabilities. He reiterates the need to strengthen each person’s interior freedom, while also confronting the risk of social control arising from the mass collection of data and the use of algorithmic systems. Profiling, predicting, and directing behavior, he says, is “a new form of power” (171) that risks discriminating against the weakest. The Pope particularly criticizes the “architecture of visibility,” which amplifies only what is visible and shapes opinions. New forms of slavery and colonialism: AI also generates new forms of slavery, such as that of the “scarred, injured, and worn down” bodies (173) of those who work in the extraction of the “rare earth elements” needed for technology. Therefore, the Pope upholds the importance of combating new forms of slavery as another “decisive test for ethical discernment” in the digital transformation. Pope Leo XIV stresses that “the Church renews her firm condemnation of every form of slavery, trafficking, and commodification of persons” and he underscores that to not react or to tolerate grave violations of human dignity means becoming accomplices to them. At the same time, the Pope “sincerely asks forgiveness” for the delay with which the Church in the past condemned “the scourge of slavery” (174-176). The encyclical also refers to the vital information—for example, on health and demographics—used to guide economic strategies. He calls this a new face of colonialism that turns personal lives into exploitable information, making the digital environment a “space of exploitation” (178-179). Overcoming ‘just war’ theory: In the fifth chapter—The Culture of Power and the Civilization of Love—Pope Leo XIV turns his gaze to war, saying “the digital revolution is changing the nature of conflict.” The Pope calls for an ethical approach, without which decisions about the life and death of persons will become increasingly impersonal due to a use of force regarded as an “immediate and viable option” (182-183). At the root of all this is a “culture of power” that normalizes war and rehabilitates it as an “instrument of international politics,” favoring rearmament. Today, he says, public opinion is burdened by polarizing media narratives, as well as by “a disconcerting loss of historical memory,” which leaves people without a long-term vision (191). Consequently, he says, peace today is no longer understood as a task to be undertaken, but as an interval between conflicts. For this reason, Pope Leo XIV reiterates that—while preserving the right to legitimate defense in the strictest sense—the theory of “just war” must be overcome, and dialogue, diplomacy, and forgiveness must instead be promoted (192). Algorithms do not make war morally acceptable: Pope Leo expresses criticism of the growth in the arms industry, the nuclear arms race, and the emergence of new armed actors—including jihadist groups—who aim to perpetuate conflicts as a source of power and profit. He also warns against the use of weapons linked to AI, because “there is no algorithm that can make war morally acceptable.” The Pope writes, “AI does not remove the intrinsic inhumanity of conflict; indeed, it can only bring about conflict more quickly and render it more impersonal, lowering the threshold for resorting to violence, transforming defense into threat prediction and thus reducing victims to data. In this way, it will accustom us to the idea that violence is inevitable and needs only to be optimized.” The Pope urges strict ethical limits, which are shared at the international level and based on personal responsibility and the protection of civilians. “Any technology that facilitates attacks without seeing the face of human beings lowers the moral threshold of conflict” (199). Crisis of multilateralism: The culture of power also emerges from the crisis of multilateralism and the emergence of “a disorderly and conflict-ridden multipolarism” with a prevailing sense of mistrust (201). The Pope laments that the rule of law has been replaced by the law of the strongest, while the logic of power prevails over peace building and institutions established to safeguard the common destiny of peoples have now been weakened. In this regard, the Pope hopes for “profound reforms” of the UN that can overcome the current crisis of values in favor of the common good (226). An irresponsible Realpolitik: The encyclical notes that today “hybrid” wars are fought “also on the economic, financial and cyber fronts, where disinformation and campaigns that feed people’s fears are used to manipulate public opinion” so that increases in military expenditures are seen as the “only response” to an uncertain future. But all of this is only a “false realism”, an irresponsible Realpolitik that sows in people’s consciences and cultures a resignation to an unavoidable war and describes peace as a utopia (204-205). He notes that there is the possibility that some “may consider armed conflict as an effective way of diverting attention from domestic problems and a cynical tool for managing difficulties (208). The civilization of love: Christians, says Pope Leo, are called to respond to the culture of power by building “the civilization of love” and by choosing whether to feed the logic of force or safeguard peace. He recalls the memory of the saints, “righteous people and the oft-forgotten peacemakers, show us that grace does not magically eliminate conflict, but instead it inspires active resistance to evil and an astonishing creativity in doing good” (211). The Pope indicates five paths of responsibility, which include disarming words by speaking the truth; building peace in justice; adopting the perspective of victims by taking a stand, because there are conflicts in which “it is unjust to remain neutral”; cultivating “a healthy realism” that seeks practicable paths of peace through deeds, not only words. Importance of interreligious dialogue: Finally, relaunching dialogue by moving from a culture of power to a culture of negotiation is highlighted. And of decisive importance is “interreligious dialogue”, being bearers of a message of peace. He writes that “those who use the name of God to legitimize terrorism, violence or war betray his true nature, for to fight in the name of religion means attacking religion itself” (223). The diplomacy of the Holy See, he notes, “adopts the Gospel’s principle of mercy as a concrete criterion for political action.” And from this, the exhortation to prayer, since peace comes above all from God (227-228)." (https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-05/pope-leo-xiv-encyclical-magnifica-humanitas-ai.html) more

Download (57)

Grounding Digitalization: Technologies, Materialities, and Spaces

Regula Valérie Burri, Hanna Göbel, Inga Reimers (eds.)

Bielefeld: transcript Verlag (2026), 278 pp.

"Digitalization is usually perceived as an invisible process and its cultural embeddedness as well as its material, spatial, and environmental grounding are often neglected. However, digital technologies and transformations are shaped not only by cultural values, practices, and imaginaries, but also ... more

Download (52)

Digital Modernity: Why we Need to Think Historically about the Digital Age

James Smithies

London; New York: Routledge (2026), xiii, 205 pp.

"This is the first systematic theorization of digital modernity, arguing that the digital age cannot be understood apart from the long historical arc of modernity. Bridging digital humanities, critical theory, sociology, philosophy, and global history, Digital Modernity demonstrates that contemporar ... more

Download (52)

Information Ecosystems and Troubled Democracy: The State of Knowledge on News Media, AI, and Data Governance

Robin Mansell, Flavia Durach, Matthias C. Kettemann, Théophile Lenoir, Rob Procter, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Emily Tucker

Göteborg: Nordicom, University of Gothenburg; Observatory on Information and Democracy (2025), 305 pp.

"A critical assessment of why today’s information ecosystems are troubling for democracy, this book, based on research in the Global North and Global Majority World, examines changes in news media, artificial intelligence, and data governance. It focuses on measures to improve the quality of publi ... more

External Link (100)

Google Scholar (84)

WorldCat (75)

Digitale Ethik: Eine Einführung

Dagmar Fenner

Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag (2025), 585 pp.

"Die rasch voranschreitende Digitalisierung und der damit verbundene tiefgreifende Kulturwandel erfordern dringend ethische Reflexionen und mehr gesellschaftliche Gestaltung. In dieser Einführung werden wichtige Grundbegriffe und normative Leitideen geklärt. Im ersten Teil Digitale Medienethik geh ... more

Google Scholar (113)

WorldCat (108)

The Information Animal

Alicia Wanless

La Vergne: C. Hurst and Company (2025), 314 pp.

"Depending on the news you read, new tools like AI will either save or destroy us. But our response to emerging technology’s ‘unprecedented’ threats actually follows a pattern as old as civilisation. From ancient Athens to COVID-19, social media to spam, Alicia Wanless shows how humans have al ... more

Download (30)

Die intelligente Täuschung: Über die Fähigkeiten Künstlicher Intelligenz

Frank Jäkel

Bielefeld: transcript Verlag (2025), 246 pp.

"Der Einzug von Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) in unser Leben wird gleichermaßen von Heils- und Unheilserwartungen begleitet: Die einen erhoffen sich Produktivitätssteigerungen, die anderen befürchten, dass Europa den Wettlauf mit den USA und China längst verloren hat. Autohersteller setzen auf a ... more

Google Scholar (72)

WorldCat (71)

El colapso de Babel: El fin del sueño de Internet

Paolo Benanti

Madrid: Encuentro Ediciones (2025), 294 pp.

"En El colapso de Babel, el teólogo y experto en ética digital Paolo Benanti nos invita a reflexionar sobre el colapso de la utopía digital. En sus inicios y hasta su «explosión», el mundo de Internet prometía dar un nuevo rostro a toda la humanidad, a su forma de comunicarse, de presentarse ... more

Download (61)

De Gruyter Handbook of Digital Criminology

Mareile Kaufmann, Heidi Mork Lomell (eds.)

Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter (2025), ix, 524 pp.

"The De Gruyter Handbook of Digital Criminology examines how digital devices spread and cut across all fields of crime and control. Providing a glossary of key theoretical, methodological and criminological concepts, the book defines and further establishes a vibrant, rapidly developing field. Focus ... more

External Link (69)

Atlas de Inteligencia Artificial para el Desarrollo Humano de América Latina y el Caribe
Deep Insights

Gustavo Beliz et al.

Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) (2025), 466 pp.

"La Inteligencia Artificial (IA) está reconfigurando las economías, las sociedades y la gobernanza en todo el mundo. En América Latina y el Caribe, el Atlas de IA para el Desarrollo Humano ofrece una guía estratégica para navegar esta transformación. El Atlas mapea el impacto de la IA en cuatr ... more

Download (73)

Erwachen aus dem Äther: Reformvorschläge für die digitale Zukunft öffentlich-rechtlicher Medien

Torben Klausa

Berlin: Agora Digitale Transformation (2024), 18 pp.

External Link (162)

Digital Coloniality: An Ubuntu perspective

Jan H. Kroeze

Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, volume 36, issue 2 (2024), pp. 175-216

"[...] How does the sub-Saharan African philosophy of Ubuntu bring the concept of digital coloniality to light? The main aim of the article is to define the concepts of digital colonialism and digital coloniality, to provide clear examples thereof and to provide some guidelines for corrective interv ... more

Download (53)

Introduction to Digital Humanism: A Textbook
Deep Insights

Hannes Werthner, Carlo Ghezzi, Jeff Kramer, Julian Nida-Rümelin, Bashar Nuseibeh, Erich Prem, Allison Stanger (eds.)

Cham: Springer Nature (2024), 637 pp.

"This open access textbook introduces and defines digital humanism from a diverse range of disciplines. Following the 2019 Vienna Manifesto, the book calls for a digital humanism that describes, analyzes, and, most importantly, influences the complex interplay of technology and humankind, for a bett ... more

Download (66)

History’s Future: EVZ Foundation Shapes Digital Culture of Remembrance

Eva Hasel, Anne Lammers, Leonore Martin

Berlin: Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) (2024), 20 pp.

"Forward-looking EVZ projects in the spirit of Culture of Remembrance 4.0 use innovative tools and techniques at sites of remembrance and persecution to link the digital with the analog space. This can open historical layers, make the invisible visible, and appeal to new user groups. Digital exhibit ... more

Google Scholar (50)

WorldCat (65)

La era digital. Teoría del cambio de época: Persona, familia y sociedad

Paolo Benanti

Madrid: Encuentro Ediciones (2024), 166 pp.

"La tecnología está transformando el mundo que nos rodea y a nosotros mismos: la Era Digital es la nueva era de la historia de la humanidad. ¿Cuáles son sus herramientas? ¿Cuáles son sus lenguajes? ¿Quién es el nuevo ser humano de la Era Digital? ¿Qué relación existe entre tecnología y c ... more

External Link (136)

Exploraciones posthumanas: Del algoritmo al robot plantoide

Sebastián Botticelli, Jonathan Piedra Alegría, Alfredo Saab Monroy, Félix Raúl Martínez Cleves

Buenos Aires: Teseo (2024), 194 pp.

"Este libro es el resultado de un trabajo colectivo llevado a cabo por cuatro filósofos que habitan diferentes puntos de Latinoamérica, reunidos a partir de su interés por el campo de tensiones que se despliega entre las tradiciones humanistas y las perspectivas poshumanistas. Los capítulos prob ... more

Google Scholar (148)

WorldCat (140)

Handbuch Lernen mit digitalen Medien: Wege der Transformation

Gerold Brägger, Hans-Günter Rolff (eds.)

Weinheim; Basel: Beltz, 3., aktual. und erw. Aufl. (2024), 1036 pp.

" Dieses Handbuch bietet auf dem aktuellen Stand der Praxis und Forschung konkrete Impulse für die Schul- und Unterrichtsentwicklung. Dabei gehen die Autor:innen insbesondere auf die Merkmale eines kompetenzorientierten Unterrichts ein und untersuchen, inwiefern sich der Einsatz digitaler Medien sp ... more

Download (51)

Africa-Europe Cooperation and Digital Transformation

Chux Daniels, Benedikt Erforth, Chloe Teevan (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2023), xxiii, 247 pp.

"Digital transformations have had catalytic efects on African and European governance, economies, and societies, and will continue to do so. The COVID-19 pandemic has already accelerated the penetration of digital tools all over the globe and is likely to be perceived as a critical juncture in how a ... more

External Link (171)

The Principles of Digital Transformation for Development (DX4D): Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Richard Heeks, Bookie Ezeomah, Gianluca Iazzolino

Manchester: Centre for Digital Development (2023), 31 pp.

External Link (149)

El sueño de lo real: Nuevos realismos y tecnología digital

Gabriela D'Odorico (coord.)

Buenos Aires: Teseo (2023), 221 pp.

"Son tres las preguntas importantes que articulan este libro. En primer lugar, si el auge de un nuevo pensamiento realista, que reflexiona sobre nuestra relación con los objetos materiales, con la naturaleza y con las ideas, es un pensamiento político. Con ese interrogante queremos examinar el mod ... more

Atlas de Inteligencia Artificial para el Desarrollo Humano de América Latina y el Caribe Deep Insights

Introduction to Digital Humanism: A Textbook Deep Insights

Atlas de Inteligencia Artificial para el Desarrollo Humano de América Latina y el Caribe
Deep Insights

Introduction to Digital Humanism: A Textbook
Deep Insights