We have never had such an ability to obtain answers, and at the same time, it has never been more necessary to ask ourselves what to do with them. Today, with just a click, artificial intelligence provides data, arguments, ideas, or compelling solutions, transforming the way we work, learn, and make decisions. But a well-crafted answer does not necessarily equate to knowledge, nor does it replace human judgment.
Therefore, the focus should not only be on how much AI knows or what it is capable of solving, but on what capabilities we must develop as individuals and as a society to continue thinking, learning, and acting responsibly—using sound judgment to verify, contextualize, and question.
This reflection takes on even greater significance in light of Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which he warns that we are experiencing a true “turning point in history.” He urges us not to let the succession of emergencies and the rapid pace of change dictate for us the path we wish to follow as a community. On the contrary, he calls on us to pause and ask ourselves questions that are particularly relevant today in the age of AI: Where are we headed? What direction do we want to choose as a society?
For a long time, we were concerned that machines might come to think like humans. Today, when AI is already capable of performing tasks we once associated with human thought, the concern should be that we humans will stop thinking and surrender to the machines. Steven D. Shaw, a professor at the Wharton School, termed this risk “cognitive surrender”—the tendency to delegate to AI the reasoning processes we once carried out ourselves. These abilities do not disappear overnight, but they weaken when we stop putting them into practice.
That is the true scope of this transformation. In a world where access to knowledge is no longer the primary differentiator, the skills that no single technology can replace on its own become increasingly valuable: critical thinking, judgment, creativity, soft skills, flexibility, the ability to learn continuously, to adapt, and to collaborate with others.
This becomes even more urgent in a context of growing job uncertainty. The discussion often focuses on efficiency and how many jobs will disappear. As has been the case with every technological revolution, we are facing a period of uncertainty and profound transformations in the labor market. But perhaps the main question we must answer is whether we are preparing people for this transition—especially those just starting their careers, who are already facing a more uncertain future.
And this responsibility calls on all of us, because the answer does not depend solely on technological development. It depends on the decisions we make as a society; on each person’s willingness to continue learning, questioning, and adapting; on universities’ ability to develop the skills this new landscape will demand; on companies’ commitment to training, reskilling, and the continuous development of their teams; and also on public policies that ensure this transition does not widen existing gaps or leave thousands of people behind.
The societies that best navigate this new era will not necessarily be those that develop the most advanced AI, but rather those that are best able to develop their people. As Pope Leo XIV reminds us, “Each generation receives as its inheritance the task of shaping its own time.” Perhaps that is precisely our responsibility: to harness the enormous potential of AI without forgetting that progress will exist only if it puts people at the center.
In the middle of years marked by a pandemic, economic crises, armed conflicts, and the rapid advancement of AI, the answers we seek may not lie in something completely new, but rather in returning to the essentials: reconnecting with the purpose and values that are part of our DNA—whether in individuals, institutions, or companies. From there, we can build the society we need in the midst of change.
By Susana Sierra
Published in La Tercera
