I am guilty of a technocratic mindset. Of a shameful, cold efficiency that sees me, and you, as a project to optimize. Not as a human face and soul.

I’m a software developer. So it’s no surprise that Magnifica Humanitas stirred much inside me. Yes hope, but also struggle.

How can I, with so little power or influence, respond to the call to “build a world where everyone can flourish”? If it’s true that “no one is so weak that they cannot play their part,” then what is my part?

Thankfully, there was a line that hit me like a brick: “Every design choice reflects a vision of humanity.”

It seems obvious now, but it took me a few months to realize that this line tells me exactly what I actually can do. It turns out, I’m not powerless.

This website here is my response to the encyclical. Humanity Flourishes is a gut check on using AI. It is a short list of questions that immediately reveal the heart of my work.

I have been using this litmus test daily to question my choices and respond to the stirrings of my conscience. It has changed my work substantially, and I wanted to share it, in the hopes others find it useful in making the encyclical actionable in their daily life.

If every choice at work reflects a vision of humanity, exactly what vision is my choice reflecting?

Is my work building a world where humanity flourishes?