On June 6th, in our regular segment on the radio show L’Altra Ràdio (Ràdio 4, RNE), Marcos Montero and Javier Otero, heads of Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence at ThinkUPC, debated the different perspectives—both optimistic and critical—surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). Additionally, they analyzed in detail the humanistic vision that Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has expressed in his latest encyclical.

These are the key points discussed during the broadcast:

• Techno-optimistic visions: The accelerationist stances of major industry leaders were presented. These included the prediction that by 2030 AI will surpass collective human intelligence, that certain programming tasks will be fully automated within a few months, and that by 2035 technology will enable the discovery of drugs to cure all the world’s diseases.
• Techno-pessimistic or critical visions: Warnings were raised about the risk of a Wall Street economic bubble similar to the dot-com crash, as well as the high consumption of energy and natural resources that these systems require. The dangers of job displacement and the risk of society becoming lazier by delegating critical thinking to AI were also brought to the table.
• The moral alignment of AI: In his first encyclical, titled Magnifica humanitas, Holy Father Pope Leo XIV reflects on the challenge of the technological revolution from a balanced and humanistic perspective. There is particular concern about delegating significant decisions to systems governed by moral criteria defined solely by a few tech moguls.
• A call for universal governance: A plea was made for a more universal, open, and transparent moral framework, where society as a whole has a vote and a say in how these algorithms should behave.

If you would like to dive deeper into this analysis of technology, ethics, and society, we invite you to listen to the podcast of the L’Altra Ràdio program (at the 44:28 minut).