Artificial intelligence has quickly become a defining force in today’s classrooms, reshaping how students learn, study, and complete assignments. Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 and the rapid rise of tools such as Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and NotebookLM, educators have been challenged to adapt—balancing innovation with integrity, and technological skill with authentic human formation. At the same time, the Church has begun offering guidance on the ethical and pastoral questions raised by AI, including in the recent note Antiqua et Nova issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
In response to these developments, Br. Sam Amos, FMS, and Br. Ryan Richter, FMS, who serve at Saint Joseph Academy as a classroom teacher and campus minister, have written a reflection on how AI is affecting student habits, writing ability, research skills, creativity, spiritual development, and the culture of learning. Drawing from lived classroom experience and informed by emerging Church teaching, they offer practical insights and propose ways Catholic educators can uphold both academic honesty and the Marist commitment to forming young people as thoughtful, faith-filled, and fully human.
Their essay invites all who work with young people to reflect on how we accompany students in a world where AI is ever-present, and how we help them recognize the value of their own God-given voice.
