Following the suggestion of a senior member of the Catholic church, priests could be replaced with AI robots in the future.
Ilia Delio, a Franciscan Sister who holds two PhDs, is not only a theology chair of the Villanova University but also the mastermind behind the idea that AI robots could replace human figures when it comes to leading masses.
As Sister Delio pointed out, robots led by artificial intelligence could have plenty of advantages over their human alternatives. For one, they would be incapable of sexually assaulting children. They would also be gender-neutral and able to counter the traditional, “very patriarchal” system.
“Take the Catholic Church. It’s very male, very patriarchal, and we have this whole sexual abuse crisis. So would I want a robot priest? Maybe,” Delio said in an interview with the Vox.
“A robot can be gender-neutral. It might be able to transcend some of those divides and be able to enhance community in a way that’s more liberating.”
The Sister’s controversial suggestion follows after the news of a robot priest working at a Buddhist temple has spread around the world.
As Sister Delio added, robot priests could perform and take over a series of roles that are currently being taken care of by Catholic priests.
According to Delio, the robots wouldn’t necessarily have to take over entirely but could instead work in cooperation with the priests.
“We tend to think in an either/or framework: It’s either us or the robots. But this is about partnership, not replacement. It can be a symbiotic relationship – if we approach it that way,” she added.
“The Catholic notion would say the priest is ontologically changed upon ordination. Is that really true? We have these fixed philosophical ideas and AI challenges those ideas – it challenges Catholicism to move toward a post-human priesthood.”
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Replaced!