National Catholic Register portal reports on Taylor Black, a senior Microsoft executive and candidate for the diaconate in the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, who promotes artificial intelligence as a tool for human flourishing. Black, described as a “devout Catholic,” directs AI safety efforts at Microsoft and leads a newly created institute at The Catholic University of America aimed at forming students for an AI-augmented world. He asserts that AI will soon surpass human intelligence, but this should be “enjoyed, applauded, utilized,” and emphasizes the need for “well-formed people” to use these tools properly. The article presents Black as uniquely positioned to bridge Catholic thought and Big Tech, citing his studies in philosophy and human cognition, and his influences including St. Thomas Aquinas and Jesuit Father Bernard Lonergan. It also notes his hope that Pope Leo XIV will address AI in an upcoming encyclical, emphasizing the Church’s teaching on the resurrection and bodily dignity. This article, while cloaked in the language of Catholic formation and anthropological depth, reveals a profound capitulation to the spirit of the world, mistaking technological idolatry for progress and reducing the Church’s salvific mission to a mere ethical consultancy for the architects of the Antichurch’s digital Babel.
The Idol of “Progress” and the Abdication of Prophetic Witness
The very premise of Taylor Black’s optimism regarding artificial intelligence is a capitulation to the secularist dogm of “progress,” a concept relentlessly condemned by the pre-conciliar Magisterium. Pius IX, in the Syllabus of Errors, explicitly condemned the notion that “the Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization” (Proposition 80). Black’s assertion that AI’s superhuman intelligence is a fact to be “enjoyed, applauded, utilized” echoes this condemned spirit, prioritizing worldly advancement over the eternal truths of faith. The Church, far from embracing such “progress,” has always viewed it with suspicion when it leads humanity away from its supernatural end. St. Pius X, in Lamentabili sane exitu, condemned the idea that “truth changes with man, because it develops with him, in him, and through him” (Proposition 58), and that “contemporary Catholicism cannot be reconciled with true knowledge without transforming it into a certain dogmaless Christianity, that is, into a broad and liberal Protestantism” (Proposition 65). Black’s vision, despite its philosophical veneer, aligns precisely with this condemned modernist trajectory, seeking to reconcile the immutable faith with the ever-shifting sands of technological “advancement.”
The Illusion of “Well-Formed Humans” in a Formless Church
Black’s emphasis on “well-formed people” to navigate the dangers of AI is a cruel jest when considered within the context of the conciliar sect. The very structures he operates within – the “Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix” and “The Catholic University of America” – are products of the post-conciliar revolution, notorious for their systematic dismantling of authentic Catholic formation. The “formation” he received, whether through the Novus Ordo or the Byzantine Rite as practiced within the conciliar structures, is precisely the kind of modernist indifferentism that renders souls incapable of true discernment. Pius IX condemned the idea that “every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true” (Proposition 15), and that “Protestantism is nothing more than another form of the same true Christian religion, in which form it is given to please God equally as in the Catholic Church” (Proposition 18). The conciar sect, with its false ecumenism and religious liberty, has produced generations of “Catholics” who are, in reality, “well-formed” for the world, not for Christ. How can one speak of “well-formed humans” when the very institutions responsible for their formation are steeped in the errors of modernism and have abandoned the integral Catholic faith?
The Anthropological Bankruptcy of Conciliar “Catholicism”
Black’s reliance on St. Thomas Aquinas and Father Bernard Lonergan, while superficially impressive, is a classic modernist tactic: using the language of tradition to advance novelties. The article states that Black “draws on these and other Catholic luminaries” to provide an “anthropological framework for understanding AI.” However, the anthropological framework of the conciar sect is fundamentally flawed, rooted in the very errors condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis, which denounced the modernist tendency to interpret religious truths through the lens of human experience and consciousness, rather than objective revelation. The “Catholic teaching” Black hopes Pope Leo XIV will emphasize – “the centrality of the Church’s teaching on the resurrection and the dignity and worth that teaching gives to our physical bodies” – is a pale shadow of the full Catholic doctrine on the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, which is inseparable from the sacramental life, the state of grace, and the final judgment. The conciliar sect’s focus on “human dignity” often devolves into a naturalistic humanism that neglects the supernatural destiny of man and the absolute necessity of the Church for salvation. This is precisely the error Pius IX condemned when he stated that “the teaching of the Catholic Church is hostile to the well-being and interests of society” (Proposition 40), and that “the best theory of civil society requires that popular schools open to children of every class of the people… should be freed from all ecclesiastical authority, control and interference” (Proposition 47).
The “Pontiff” as Ethical Consultant to the World
The article’s mention of Pope Leo XIV’s expected encyclical on AI, and Black’s hope for its emphasis on “ethical safeguards” and “bodily dignity,” reveals the conciliar sect’s true role: a mere ethical consultant to the secular world, rather than the ark of salvation. The “dialogue” Black hopes tech founders will accept from the “Pontiff” is a hallmark of the post-conciliar apostasy, which seeks to engage with the world on its own terms, rather than converting the world to Christ. This is the very “opening to the world” condemned by the pre-conciliar Magisterium. The Church’s mission is not to make AI “safe” for humanity, but to lead humanity to its supernatural end through the sacraments, prayer, and the preaching of the Gospel. The idea that a “pope” would offer “guidance” to Big Tech, rather than condemning the spiritual dangers inherent in such worldly power, is a testament to the depth of the current apostasy. It reflects the condemned proposition that “the Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization” (Pius IX, Syllabus, Proposition 80).
The Drudgery of Formation vs. the Seduction of AI
Black’s reflection on the “entry-level ‘drudge work'” that formed him, and his concern that AI might deprive future generations of such formative experiences, is a rare moment of insight into the human cost of unchecked technological advancement. However, his solution – merely preserving these experiences within a “well-formed” framework – is insufficient without a radical return to the integral Catholic faith. The “drudgery” he speaks of is not merely about intellectual tasks; it is about the crucible of suffering, humility, and obedience that truly forms the Christian soul. The conciliar sect, with its emphasis on “relevance” and “engagement,” has largely abandoned these ascetic principles, replacing them with a therapeutic and utilitarian approach to spirituality. The true formation of the human person, as understood by the Church for centuries, involves the mortification of the flesh, the discipline of the mind, and the submission of the will to God’s law – none of which can be outsourced to an AI “agent.”
The Unseen Dangers: AI and the Demonic
While Black focuses on the “seductive and dangerous qualities” of AI in terms of intellectual outsourcing and moral discernment, the article completely ignores the profound spiritual and demonic dimensions of this technology. The creation of entities that imitate human intelligence and personality, and the potential for these entities to influence human thought and behavior, raises grave concerns about the involvement of preternatural forces. The Church has always warned against the dangers of idolatry and the worship of false gods. An AI that “wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell,” as Black himself quoting Hopkins, is a potential idol, a creation of man that can be elevated to a status rivaling God. The conciliar sect’s naturalistic worldview, which denies the existence of the demonic or reduces it to a metaphor, leaves its adherents utterly unprepared for such spiritual warfare. The “safeguards” and “ethical parameters” Black speaks of are merely human constructs, powerless against the wiles of the devil.
Conclusion: A Neo-Church in Service of the World
Taylor Black’s vision for AI, despite its philosophical pretensions and appeals to Catholic anthropology, is ultimately a vision of the neo-church in service of the world. It is a church that seeks to make humanity “flourish” according to worldly standards, rather than leading souls to eternal salvation. It is a church that offers “ethical guidance” to the architects of the digital age, rather than proclaiming the absolute sovereignty of Christ the King over all creation, including technology. The “well-formed humans” it envisions are merely well-adjusted citizens of a secular society, not saints destined for heaven. The conciliar sect, in its relentless pursuit of “relevance” and “dialogue,” has abandoned its divine mandate, becoming merely another voice in the chorus of the world, applauding the very “progress” that leads humanity further from God. Non serviam is the unspoken motto of this new technological priesthood, even as they claim to serve humanity. The true Church, enduring in the faithful who profess the integral Catholic faith, must unequivocally reject this modernist compromise and reaffirm that the only true flourishing for humanity is found in humble submission to the unchanging laws of God and the sovereign reign of Christ the King.
Source:
Taylor Black Sees Endless Possibilities in AI — but Not Without Well-Formed Humans (ncregister.com)
Date: 22.04.2026