What does Catholic Social Teaching have to say about AI, capitalism, work, family and the future of society? In this episode, Jenny Sinclair, founder of Together for the Common Good, talks Pope Leo XIV, Rerum Novarum, the new industrial revolution and why Catholic Social Teaching may be more relevant now than ever before.

As artificial intelligence transforms work, relationships, politics, and even our understanding of what it means to be human, the Church’s social teaching offers a powerful framework rooted in human dignity, the common good, subsidiarity, solidarity and the vocation of work.

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Is Pope Leo XIV preparing the Catholic Church for the age of artificial intelligence? As AI rapidly transforms work, education, relationships, economics and even human identity itself, many are asking whether society is entering a new industrial revolution comparable to the one that inspired Pope Leo XIII’s historic encyclical Rerum Novarum.

In this episode, we explore why Pope Leo XIV’s choice of name may signal a major renewed focus on Catholic Social Teaching, human dignity, and the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence. From ChatGPT and automation to robotics, digital isolation, and the future of employment, this conversation examines how emerging technologies are reshaping modern life — and why the Church believes these questions are fundamentally spiritual as well as political and economic.

What happens when AI begins replacing not only manual labour, but human judgment, creativity, education, companionship, and care? Can artificial intelligence serve the common good, or are we creating systems that risk dehumanizing society and weakening family, community, and human relationships? And how should Christians respond to a culture increasingly dominated by technology, algorithms, consumerism, and individualism?

Drawing on the wisdom of Catholic Social Teaching, the thought of Pope Leo XIII, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and the emerging vision of Pope Leo XIV, this discussion explores how the Church can respond to the biggest technological and cultural transformation of the modern age.

Topics include

• Pope Leo XIV and the legacy of Leo XIII
• Rerum Novarum explained
• AI and the future of work
• Catholic teaching on capitalism and socialism
• Human dignity in the age of technology
• Family breakdown and individualism
• Social media, loneliness, and the “culture of indifference”
• Catholic responses to political polarization
• How to build a “civilization of love”

What is Catholic Social Teaching?
Catholic Social Teaching is the body of teaching developed by the Catholic Church to address social, economic, political and cultural issues in the light of the Gospel and the dignity of the human person. Rooted in Scripture, the teachings of Jesus Christ and centuries of Christian thought, Catholic Social Teaching offers a moral framework for understanding society, work, family life, economics, human rights, poverty, politics, technology and the common good.

Often described as one of the Catholic Church’s 'best kept secrets,' Catholic Social Teaching began to take modern form with Pope Leo XIII’s landmark 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, written during the Industrial Revolution in response to exploitation of workers, economic inequality and the rise of both unfettered capitalism and Marxism. Since then, popes including Pope St John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, and now Pope Leo XIV have continued to develop this tradition in response to changing global challenges.

Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:25 Christian Response to Social Unrest
5:18 Catholic Social Teaching Rediscovered
8:01 Cardinal Manning & Workers
10:44 Capitalism, Marxism & Human Dignity
16:00 Work as Vocation
18:20 Families Under Pressure
21:40 Rise of Hyper-Liberalism
23:13 Deindustrialisation & Family Breakdown
26:03 Relational Human Anthropology
27:45 Pope Leo XIV’s Mission
34:52 Smartphones & Social Isolation
37:27 Migration & Human Costs
40:30 AI and Human Dignity
41:46 Pope Leo & President Trump
43:49 Building the Common Good
52:11 Awaiting Pope Leo's Encyclical