Magisterium AI in Theological Inquiry and Religious Education
Challenges and Emerging Horizons
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/SetF.2025.024Keywords
artificial intelligence, large language models, LLMs, tradition, religious education, computer science, informaticsAbstract
Since 2019, artificial intelligence (AI) has played an increasingly central role in daily life. Yet, this phase in AI’s evolution is only the beginning of even greater advancements. Catholic institutions, cognizant of the crucial role the Church must assume in the development of AI, have increasingly engaged with this technological frontier. Among these institutions is Longbeard, which has undertaken the creation of Magisterium AI, a compound AI system that leverages several AI technologies and a large database of Catholic knowledge to produce faithful answers. This article offers a critical analysis of the current state of Magisterium AI, drawing on its 2025 Report, Investor Deck, user feedback, and direct engagement with the system to evaluate its alignment with Catholic ethical principles. Specifically, it highlights the expansion of the database as a key area for improvement, while reflecting on the complexities inherent in such an undertaking. The article concludes that the development of a Catholic AI entails more than simply amassing documents in a database. It requires endowing the AI system with a profound grasp of Scripture and its interpretive traditions; a comprehensive knowledge of theology as a whole; a broad acquaintance with the history of ideas, including the development of culture, art, philosophy, and theology; and a finely honed awareness of the evolving nuances of language and cultural sensibilities through which eternal truths are expressed.
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