Blog originally published in The Tablet on 18th August 2025
A chance encounter in Rome last summer led to an invitation for Maggie Doherty to deliver the biannual Venerable Mary Aikenhead Oration in Australia this year
Playing around with ideas for the Oration, I thought that now was an opportune moment to explore how her vision might guide us in the era of artificial intelligence, particularly in the ministries of healthcare, education and social outreach, pioneered by her five sisters who arrived in Australia in the early 19th century.
My journey towards the other end of the world started well when the lady sat beside me from Dubai to Sydney happened to be from Dublin and an expert in AI – a sign from Mary perchance. We spoke at length about how AI was transforming industries in Australia, whether that be in mining, where autonomous trucks, trains and drills are controlled by a centre based in Perth, or how AI is changing the face of pest control from 24/7 remote monitoring of traps to drones targeting pesticides in remote areas.
To underscore this connection between past and present, I created an avatar of Mary Aikenhead to open the oration. It raised a few laughs.
Mary Aikenhead (1787-1858), from Cork, founded the Religious Sisters of Charity. She is on the path to sainthood – her heroic virtues were proclaimed by decree in 2015, meaning she could have the title, Venerable..
What would this 19th-century innovator make of the technology which enables computers and machines to think and act in ways that mirror human intelligence?
She could not have predicted that telemedicine, wearable technology and virtual wards would be realities used to provide care. She and her Sisters would, however, perhaps recognise the driving purpose of these developments: to enable everyone to access the care and education they deserve, regardless of where they were born or their individual circumstances in life.
Based on her life and mission, I argued that Mary Aikenhead would offer several compass points to navigate this new era. She was very rooted in practicality, not getting caught up with the latest trend. She would ask, what can we do and would want to understand where AI helped but also where it would get in the way and hinder charitable works. She would ensure that technology served human dignity, asking: does this technology treat people as ends in themselves, or merely as means?
The Sisters of Charity didn’t just pray for the poor, important though that was; they learned medical skills, they learned to teach, and they learned whatever was needed to provide the right support. Most significantly, they took a fourth vow beyond the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. They vowed to serve the poor and crucially, she didn’t simply accept the limitations of her time but worked creatively within and sometimes against them to fulfil her mission of service.
Her fourth vow would be a guiding principle in her AI approach. She would evaluate these tools based on how this makes the lives of the most excluded and marginalised better and more human. For Mary Aikenhead, it is important to be available for anyone in need at the point of need, regardless of faith background. She would judge an innovation’s merit by the extent to which it transformed the lives of the marginalised.
Mary Aikenhead would see AI and technology as wonderful gifts of providence, but she would be practical about it. She would not be seduced by it to the point of losing the simple, direct human connection. She would be very concerned about authenticity and would not be easily swayed by fake news or opinions that were becoming politicised.
She would likely have at least one raised eyebrow permanently at AI, scratching her head on variants of humanising and dehumanising influence. She would issue a strong corrective to some of the more sci-fi radical bits of AI by saying actually there has to be a personal touch, and there has to be a human touch, and there has to be a relationship behind it.
Drawing on my recent research with 68 respondents into public attitudes towards digital health in end-of-life and bereavement care which found that 75 per cent of respondents were open to using digital technologies, I shared that respondents stressed that human beings need personal touch and care which cannot be replaced by AI. This would have deeply resonated with Mary Aikenhead. She would have appreciated how digital tools could extend her reach, much like her own leadership from her sickbed for 20 years, but would insist that technology must enhance, never replace, human relationships at the heart of healing, education and spiritual care.
Pope Leo XIV has said that AI is one of the main issues facing humanity today. Offering the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution, Mary Aikenhead’s wisdom resonates within this new era.
Her legacy offers us a compass, not a handbook for navigating AI. From Dublin to digital, Mary Aikenhead’s vision remains our guide: to see in every innovation an opportunity to serve those most in need and to bring Christ’s love to all, especially those who live on the margins.
Maggie Doherty, Director of the Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well at St Mary’s University and a trustee of St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, recently delivered the Mary Aikenhead Oration in Australia, following teaching and lecture engagements at Notre Dame University, Sydney. Mary Aikenhead Ministries carries on the work of the Sisters of Charity, focusing on health, aged care, education and social services.
With special thanks to Carolyne Barber and Sr Maria Coates from St Joseph’s hospice in Hackney who helped Maggie get to know more about Venerable Mary Aikenhead and Professors, Julia Riley and Jim McManus who shared their expertise in digital technologies in healthcare.
Photo credit: Camera Creations