Soul-Checking the Bot: Why Your AI Needs a Moment of Zen

Marquette University is doing something that sounds like it’s straight out of a sci-fi novel. On October 7, they are hosting an "Ignatian Examen on AI."

It sounds fancy, but it’s actually a "System Restore" for your brain.

What is an Examen?

The Ignatian Examen is a 500-year-old Jesuit tradition of looking back at your day to see where things went right and where they went wrong.

Think of it like a Daily Activity Log for your soul. Just like you check your screen time to see where your hours went, the Examen helps you check your "heart time."

Why Mix Prayer with Pixels?

We are currently living in an "Algorithm Age."

An algorithm is like a digital recipe book. It’s a specific set of instructions that a computer follows to solve a problem or make a decision.

These recipes now decide what news you see, what jobs you get, and even who you date. Because these tools move so fast, we often forget to ask: Is this actually making my life better?

Debugging the Digital Spirit

The event at Marquette focuses on how we interact with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

AI is essentially a computer program that mimics human thinking. It’s like a super-powered digital butler that can write emails, create art, or predict the weather.

But even the best butler can make mistakes. Sometimes AI has Ethical Bias.

Think of bias like a pair of tinted sunglasses. If the AI "learned" from data that was unfair or one-sided, it will see the whole world through those tinted lenses, leading to unfair results.

How to Do a "Tech Examen"

You don’t have to be a monk to try this. Here is how to audit your tech life:

• Gratitude: Which AI tool made your life easier today? (Maybe it was the GPS that saved you from traffic).
• Awareness: Did you feel more or less "human" after using tech today?
• The Glitch: Did an algorithm make you feel angry, jealous, or distracted?
• The Patch: How can you use your phone or computer better tomorrow?

A patch is a quick software update that fixes a bug. This reflection is a patch for your daily habits.

The Future is Reflective

We spend so much time "feeding the machine" with our data and clicks.

Marquette’s event reminds us that we are the ones in charge. We are the architects of this digital world, and we need to make sure the foundation is solid.

By pausing to reflect, we make sure our technology serves us, rather than us serving the technology.

If we don't take the time to debug our relationship with AI, we might find ourselves running on software that doesn't fit our souls.