Catholic Counsel for the Virtuous Use of AI in Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health Care
摘要
This chapter offers theoretical and practical guidance from the Catholic tradition on cultivating those virtues most helpful for employing artificial intelligence well in physical, mental, and spiritual health care. First, AI systems can speed diagnosis and prompt new forms of treatment in physical health care. However, anxieties remain regarding the trustworthiness of programs notorious for hallucinations. Similarly, algorithmic biases could exacerbate current social injustices, mitigate patient autonomy, and damage empathetic doctor-patient relations. Second, increasingly realistic companion systems in mental health care promise to fill in the gaps for those who lack access to professional human support. Yet reliance on such tools could create emotionally disordered and harmful attachments to digital substitutes that detract from authentic interpersonal relations. Third, new AI systems focused on spiritual health offer engaging access to enlightenment for seekers and those unsure about how to grow spiritually. However, the same technologies raise fears about an excessively disembodied approach to the spiritual life and an unhealthy neglect of communal practices. Overall, the chapter offers counsel rooted in the Catholic moral tradition regarding the prudent use of AI tools for human flourishing.