What does it mean to work — and to be human — in an age of artificial intelligence? That's the question at the center of a symposium coming to The Catholic University of America this fall.
Organized by the University's Leonum Institute for AI and Emerging Technologies and co-sponsored by The Word on Fire Institute, “AI and the Meaning of Work Symposium” will be held Sept. 25-27 at the DC campus.
This event convenes leaders from technology, business, media, government, and higher education to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by AI and new technology, and how these emerging technological advances can ultimately serve human flourishing.
Experts will delve into topics such as:
- What does it mean to say that a human being is working—are there moral distinctions between manual and intellectual labor?
- What is AI and how does this revolution differ from historical precedents like the Industrial Revolution in altering how people earn a living?
- If earning a living is the main reason people work, why is AI job replacement so unsettling, even when economic needs are met? What insights does the Catholic faith offer for navigating the upsides and downsides?
- What protective measures are worth advocating for to prevent job replacement?
- In fields where AI use can lower poverty and mortality rates, should its adoption be treated as a moral imperative?
National Experts in AI and Ethics to Speak
The speakers already confirmed for this September symposium include some of the nation's leading voices on AI and ethics:
- Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia
- Taylor Black, founding executive director, Leonum Institute for AI and Emerging Technologies, Catholic University
- Paul Camacho, associate director, Augustinian Institute, Villanova University
- Brian Patrick Green, director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University
- Catherine Pakaluk, executive director, Gibbons Institute for Human Ecology, Catholic University
- Matthew Petrusek, senior director and professor of Catholic ethics, Word on Fire Institute
- Olga Pierrakos, STEM program director, National Science Foundation
- Mark Ryland, vice president of AI, Istari AI
- Charbel Simon, ceo and founder, Sprintwell
- Joseph Vukov, associate director of the Hank Center for Catholic Intellectual Heritage, Loyola University Chicago
About Leonum Institute for AI and Emerging Technologies
The Leonum Institute for AI and Emerging Technologies at The Catholic University of America is an interdisciplinary institute established in fall 2025 to advance human-centered emerging technologies through the lens of Catholic humanism. The Institute fulfills its mission through three pillars: research, formation, and innovation.
Guided by a commitment to human dignity and the common good, Leonum equips students and the public to navigate emerging technologies; cultivate ethical development; and foster a sustained collaboration among educators, policymakers, technologists, industry leaders, and civil society to shape these tools in service of human flourishing.
Leonum is led by Taylor Black, who leads AI and venture initiatives for the CTO of one of the world’s largest international technology companies.
