Skip to product information
Paperback

Vigilant Hope

Preserving Human Dignity in an Age of Artificial Intelligence

By Dr. Steven Umbrello

$19.99
Sale price  $19.99 Regular price 
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Format

Expected to ship November 2, 2026

Pre-order items in your order will ship when those items arrive in stock. You will receive any in-stock items from your order sooner in a separate shipment.

Fast processing30-day returnsContact us

Description

An authentically Catholic perspective on artificial intelligence. 

Join Dr. Steven Umbrello as he explores the rise of AI in the modern world through a Catholic lens.

Artificial intelligence is changing the world at an incredible pace. It can help us solve problems, generate ideas, communicate, and accomplish tasks in seconds. Yet as these tools become more powerful and more deeply woven into our lives, they also raise difficult questions.

What do we stand to gain from AI? What might we lose? And how can we embrace the good these technologies offer without losing sight of what makes us uniquely human?

In Vigilant Hope: Preserving Human Dignity in an Age of Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Steven Umbrello offers an authentically Catholic perspective on the opportunities and challenges of AI.

Drawing on the wisdom of the Catholic tradition, including Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Dr. Umbrello explores not simply what AI can do, but what it should do, and how we can ensure technology remains at the service of the human person.

Inside this book, you’ll discover:

  • What artificial intelligence is and how it is already shaping our world
  • The remarkable possibilities AI offers in medicine, science, communication, and beyond
  • The ethical questions we must consider as AI takes on a greater role in human life
  • What the Church teaches about technology and human dignity
  • Why intellect, free will, conscience, and discernment cannot be replaced by a machine
  • How to think clearly about the promises and risks of AI without fear or blind optimism
  • What it means to ensure technology serves the human person rather than the other way around
  • How to discern what AI can do, what it should do, and what we should continue to do ourselves
  • How to approach the future of AI with wisdom, hope, and confidence

AI may be changing rapidly, but human nature and human dignity do not. Vigilant Hope equips you to navigate this new era with a clear understanding of what technology can offer and a renewed appreciation for what only the human person can bring.

Product Details
SKU
9798892763011
Format
Paperback
Binding
Perfect Bound
Edition
1st
Dimensions
8.5" x 5.5"
Weight
0.5 lb
Page Count
224
Language
English
Series
Vigilant Hope: Preserving Human Dignity in an Age of Artificial Intelligence
Publisher
Ascension Press
Publication Date
Nov 02, 2026
Copyright Year
2026

Contributors

Author


Dr. Steven Umbrello

Steven Umbrello is the Managing Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and a research fellow at the University of Turin, where he directs the Ethical Research Center on Anthropology and Technology. His research applies the theology of Bernard Lonergan to artificial intelligence: what machines can and cannot do to human knowing, judgment, and dignity. He is also an associate researcher at the Collège des Bernardins, where he works on digital humanism, and he serves on the steering committee of the Catholic Turing Test Initiative (Builders AI Forum).

His books include Vigilant Hope: Preserving Human Dignity in an Age of Artificial Intelligence (Ascension Press, 2026), Can AI Ever Be Human? Consciousness Explored (The Catholic University of America Press, 2026, with Paul O'Hara), Mediated by Meaning: Consciousness and Conversion in the Thought of Jordan Peterson (Pickwick, 2026), and Technology Ethics: Responsible Innovation and Design Strategies (Polity, 2024). He edits the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Technoethics and co-edits Etica & Politica / Ethics & Politics.

More from Dr. Steven Umbrello →

Contributor


Katie Prejean McGrady

Katie Prejean McGrady is an author, sought after speaker, and the host of SiriusXM’s "The Katie McGrady Show" on The Catholic Channel. She hosts the Ave Explores podcast, the Like a Mother podcast, and co-hosts Family Mass Prep on Hallow. Katie is a Vatican Analyst for CNN and collaborates with the Vatican Dicastery for Communications on Digital Media initiatives. She lives and works in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with her husband, Tommy, and daughters, Rose and Clare.

More from Katie Prejean McGrady →

You may also like