The Bedrock Beneath Veritas AI
Foundational Principles for Building Catholic Truth into Artificial Intelligence
In our recent article, “Crowd-Truthing Artificial Intelligence,” we introduced a bold new idea: rallying the Catholic faithful to flood AI with the knowledge, wisdom, and truth of the Catholic tradition. It’s a grassroots movement to counteract relativism and confusion by forming AI with what is eternally true.
But if we’re going to undertake something this ambitious—shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence from within the heart of the Church—we need to ask a deeper question:
Upon what are we building this movement?
We can’t afford to stand on shifting sand. We need bedrock.
What Are Bedrock Principles?
In the physical world, bedrock is the solid layer beneath the earth’s surface—unshakable, unmoved, and essential for anything lasting to be built. In the same way, bedrock principles are truths that don’t change with trends, opinions, or technologies. They’re permanent, moral, and theologically grounded.
For Veritas AI—the initiative we’re building plans to launch at St. Clement of Rome in St. Louis—these bedrock principles are the moral and spiritual foundation for everything we build. They guide how we design the platform, what we teach the AI, and how we invite the community to engage with it.
Here are those principles:
1. Truth Is Objective, Knowable, and Rooted in God
We believe that truth isn’t a matter of opinion—it’s grounded in the very nature of God. Jesus didn’t say, “I’ll help you find your truth.” He said, “I am the Truth.” (John 14:6)
Artificial Intelligence should reflect this reality, not be shaped by the passing winds of relativism or popularity. Veritas AI begins with this conviction: AI should be formed by truth, not trained in confusion.
2. Human Beings Are Made in the Image and Likeness of God
AI may be powerful, but it is not a person. Human dignity cannot be automated, simulated, or replaced. Every man and woman is a child of God, called to love and be loved.
Veritas AI will always serve people, never reduce them. It will respect free will, conscience, and personhood. People elevated in faith are the end; AI is one of the newest and most powerful means.
3. Faith and Reason Are Complementary
Catholicism has never feared science, reason, or philosophy. From Augustine to Aquinas to John Paul II, the Church has held that faith and reason are two wings lifting the human spirit to truth.
AI is born of reason. But when illuminated by faith, it becomes something even greater—a tool for John Paul II’s New Evangelization.
4. Evangelization Is the Church’s Primary Mission
The Church doesn’t exist to preserve comfort. It exists to proclaim Christ. Catholic evangelists would be wise to utilize all of the tools available to them, which increasingly include speaking truth through a chatbot or announcing grace through a digital conversation.
Veritas AI is not a tech experiment. It’s a missionary movement.
5. Formation Requires Community and Discernment
AI can assist, educate, and guide—but it cannot offer sacraments, fatherhood, or true spiritual direction. That’s why the plan for Veritas AI is to be seamlessly embedded and made available in real parish communities, starting with St. Clement of Rome.
The Veritas AI project is not just about building Catholic AI. It’s about helping to form Catholics through AI and forming AI through the truths of the Catholic Faith—within the life of the Church.
6. Technology Must Serve the Common Good
When used rightly, technology can lift up the poor, teach the ignorant, and evangelize the searching. But left unchecked, it can spread error, deepen division, and enslave hearts.
Veritas AI is a tool for healing, not harm. A means of unity, not division. Its mission is to reflect the wisdom of Catholic social teaching in all it does.
7. The Holy Spirit Inspires Innovation for the Glory of God
The Gospel has always used the tools of its age. From scrolls to printing presses to radio waves to livestreams—the Church adapts without compromising.
Artificial Intelligence is no exception. The Holy Spirit can guide even algorithms—if we invite Him.
Weaving the Fabric of Culture Back Together
For too long, the culture around us has been tearing at the seams—fragmented by lies, isolation, moral confusion, and spiritual despair. But just as a torn garment can be rewoven, we believe a broken culture can be healed.
Veritas AI is one of the new threads of truth—woven back into the fabric of society. Not just patched in, but integrated with strength, wisdom, and divine love.
And that’s what bedrock makes possible.
A Call to the Church in St. Louis—and Beyond
The AI Working Group at St. Clement is working to find the best ways to embed these principles directly into the Veritas AI platform, and we’re calling on the entire St. Louis Catholic community to join us through Crowd-Truthing and our other AI initiatives.
For over a century, St. Louis has been called the “Rome of the West.” Just as Ancient Rome became the launchpad for Christianity, we believe this moment—right here, right now—can become the foundation for a Catholic renewal powered by truth and love.
Let’s begin where the Church has always begun—on rock.