Where There’s Smoke, There’s Friar

Habemus papam!

As it happened, I was sitting at a cafe in the city of Assisi when Cardinal Robert Prevost was announced as the 267th Bishop of Rome.

I’m still digesting the circumstances: an American Pope, graduate of Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union, a White Sox fan!

I love that he chose the name Leo XIV. As he remarked to the College of Cardinals, the name indicates a focus I believe is super important:

Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour. Source: vatican.va

I will continue to pray for the new Pope. In order to live into his new role, he will need God’s grace and the collaboration of the faithful and all people of good will.

Shopify CEO says no new hires without proof AI can’t do the job

Before asking for more Headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI.

If your default is to require proof that humans are more capable than a computer program, you may be doing it wrong.

Antiqua Et Nova

New #Vatican document on #ArticificialIntelligence just dropped.

Meta’s AI Profiles Are Indistinguishable From Terrible Spam That Took Over Facebook

The AI slop will continue until morale improves.

Jason Koebler and the crew from 404 Media know what’s up.

Finished reading: The AI Mirror by Shannon Vallor 📚

Soooo gooood! Thanks, @shannonvallor.bsky.social! #AIEthics

Finished reading: Artificial by Amy Kurzweil 📚

Finished reading: Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans by Melanie Mitchell 📚

Finally got around to reading this classic. Henceforth, it shall be on my recommended reading list. #AIEthics #DigitalEthics

Let’s Expect More From Ourselves

Paul Kafasis is on point here:

The new Apple Intelligence functionality is being touted with two new commercials that pitch a smartphone as a substitute for being attentive and caring. Like that idea, the ads are awful.

Technology for Good: The Poopcopter

This is undoubtedly the best use of drone technology I’ve seen.

By Caleb Olsen, via the Weekly Thing.

In our increasingly algorithmic society, we should look to wisdom like this, from the James Beard Award-Winning Hansen’s Sno-Bliz:

There are no short-cuts to quality.