Silicon Valley’s Tower of Babel: When Artificial Intelligence Demands Its Own Slowdown
EWTN News portal reports that the multibillion-dollar AI company Anthropic has called for a global “pause” or “slowdown” in artificial development, citing fears that humans may lose control over AI systems. The article frames this development as somehow aligned with the encyclical of the antipope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas, which warned against constructing “a new Tower of Babel.” Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic, and Marina Favaro published a blog warning about “recursive self-improvement” — AI systems autonomously designing their own successors without human input. The article quotes moral theologian Charles Camosy, who claims Anthropic’s position aligns with Leo XIV’s desire to “disarm” AI, and suggests the Church should lead a global movement demanding “ethical AI.” The entire piece is a masterclass in modernist reductionism, subordinating the supernatural order to the idolatry of technological progress while dressing apostasy in the garments of Catholic moral theology.