“Acting is morally good when the choices of freedom are in conformity with man’s true good and thus express the voluntary ordering of the person towards his ultimate end.”
— Veritatis Splendor, §72
Introduction: The Ethics of AI and the Question of Sin
The question may sound absurd at first: Can robots sin? After all, sin is a theological concept, not a computational category. But as artificial intelligence (AI) systems grow increasingly complex—driving cars, diagnosing illness, recommending parole, filtering job applicants—we find ourselves assigning blame, or at least responsibility, for moral outcomes.
Who is accountable when an AI fails, misjudges, or discriminates? Can the system itself be said to have “done wrong”? And more fundamentally, what is moral agency—and can a machine ever possess it?
To explore these questions from a Catholic perspective, we turn to Pope St. John Paul II’s 1993 encyclical Veritatis Splendor, a profound reflection on moral truth, freedom, and human action. In this light, we’ll see that sin is not simply a violation of rules, but a rupture in relationship with God—a wound only persons can inflict.
What Veritatis Splendor Teaches About Moral Action
One of the encyclical’s central claims is that freedom is not autonomy from truth, but a choice ordered toward the good. True freedom means living in harmony with our God-given purpose.
“Authentic freedom is never freedom ‘from’ the truth but always and only freedom ‘in’ the truth.” (§64)
To commit a moral act—good or bad—one must have:
- Reason – the ability to understand the moral law.
- Will – the capacity to choose.
- Conscience – the inner voice that judges actions in light of truth.
- Intentionality – personal responsibility for that choice.
These four components are essential for moral agency. And, crucially, they all presuppose personhood.
A machine may simulate reasoning. It may be programmed to choose. It may even appear to “learn.” But it cannot intend, love, or repent. These belong to the soul—not the server.
Can a Machine Be Morally Responsible?
This distinction matters, especially in an era of autonomous systems. When an AI misdiagnoses a patient or an autonomous drone causes civilian casualties, someone must be held responsible. But it is not the machine—it is the human person who designed, deployed, or neglected it.
Veritatis Splendor emphasizes that moral responsibility flows from the human conscience, which must always be formed and guided by truth:
“The morality of the human act depends primarily and fundamentally on the ‘object’ rationally chosen by the deliberate will.” (§78)
Since a robot has no will—only algorithmic pathways—it cannot sin. It may malfunction, but it cannot transgress. It may produce harm, but it cannot hate.
Simulated Personhood vs. Real Agency
Modern AI systems often display what we might call simulated moral reasoning. Language models can express ethical arguments. Chatbots can apologize. Machine-learning tools can “adjust” based on input data. But none of this is actual moral awareness.
Machines are ontologically different from humans. They are tools, not subjects. They do not possess dignity. They are not children of God.
This is why Catholic theology insists on anthropological clarity: Only persons can act morally—because only persons can relate to truth, love, and God.
“Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience… It is an offense against God.”
— Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1849
AI cannot sin because it cannot offend God. It does not have a soul. It is not a moral subject.
But What About Influence?
Here’s where things get more nuanced. While robots cannot sin, humans can sin through robots—by designing, training, or deploying them unjustly. If a hiring algorithm discriminates against women or minorities, the responsibility lies with:
- the developers who encoded the data,
- the companies who used it uncritically,
- and the social systems that tolerated it.
Moral culpability extends to how technology is used, not just by whom. Veritatis Splendor reminds us that intention and object must both be ordered toward the good. Using a “neutral” machine for unjust ends can still be sinful.
In that sense, robots may become occasions of sin—amplifying injustice, hiding behind complexity, or encouraging moral laziness. But the guilt still rests with the human agents behind the code.
Working in tech, I’ve seen how quickly we anthropomorphize machines. We say the AI is “biased,” “rude,” or even “racist.” But it’s not the AI—it’s the data. It’s the choices humans made upstream.
I’ve also noticed a temptation to offload responsibility: “The algorithm made the decision.” It’s convenient. It’s clean. But it’s not true.
Veritatis Splendor reminded me that freedom and truth are always linked. When we design systems that obscure moral clarity, we’re not building tools—we’re constructing fig leaves to hide behind. That’s not innovation. That’s abdication.
Moral Clarity in a Machine Age
The Catholic Church offers a gift to the AI ethics conversation: the conviction that truth is not relative, freedom is not aimless, and persons are not programmable.
Veritatis Splendor defends moral absolutes not as rigid constraints, but as signposts of human flourishing. Even in the digital age, we are called to discern, to act with integrity, and to form our conscience in light of eternal truth.
Robots can’t sin—but they can reflect the sins of their creators. That’s why theological reflection is essential—not just in seminaries, but in labs, offices, and boardrooms. Because how we build, use, and regulate AI will shape not only society, but our souls.
- Deuteronomy 30:19 – “Choose life, that you and your descendants may live.”
- John 8:32 – “The truth will set you free.”
- Romans 2:15 – “The law is written on their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness.”
👨🏫 CHURCH FATHERS / MAGISTERIAL SOURCES
- St. Augustine: “Love, and do what you will.” – True moral action begins in love.
- Veritatis Splendor, §§64–78
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§1749–1761 (human acts) & §§1849–1853 (sin)
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