Ave Maria Press and Artificial Intelligence
Ave Maria Press sets hearts on fire by leading people to know, love, and serve God. As the world steps into the new age of artificial intelligence, we are approaching this new technology in our publishing work by seeking wisdom born of faith. The essence of artificial intelligence is the generation of words, which strikes at the heart of our industry. This technology also speaks to the heart of our faith because ours is a tradition founded upon Jesus Christ as God’s Word made flesh. Our ministry is predicated on the power of the written word to change lives and bring us into communion with God and one another (Is 55:10-11, Jn 1:14, Heb 4:12).
These principles ground Ave’s approach to generative AI technology as it applies to Ave staff, partners, authors, creators, and readers:
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Books are at the core of our ministry, and the central promise of a book is the encounter between author and reader—we strive to ensure that this relationship is direct, compelling, trustworthy, and original.
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Artificial intelligence is neither good nor evil in and of itself—it is a tool that calls for us to use it in a way that promotes human dignity and the common good.
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AI can imitate the product of human knowledge and creativity, but it cannot lead us to wisdom or inspiration. AI operates on mathematical models, but the human heart seeks the true, good, and beautiful. Ave books bring hope by connecting readers to these profoundly human transcendental values.
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Efficiency is not a Gospel value. AI can improve our work capacity and business functions, but we will not treat our relationships with creators or readers as projects to be optimized. We honor the dignity of labor and will not use AI in a way that displaces staff or replaces jobs.
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We will not allow AI to erode our sense of agency nor our judgment. Publishing is a business built on stewardship of intellectual property, and we will not use AI in a way that threatens the rights of our authors or the integrity of our readers.
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AI has an outsized impact on our environment—we remain conscious that this is not a cost-free technology.
Generative AI cannot do what Ave books do. An algorithm can generate plausible words, but it does not experience the world, bear responsibilities, undergo joy and suffering, or grow in faith, hope, or love. It cannot lead a reader to wisdom or an encounter with the living God. Our books are written by human authors who have prayed, suffered, doubted, believed, and rejoiced. Their writing reaches through the page to touch the minds and hearts of readers, a sacred exchange that reveals Jesus Christ as the Word of Life. We see our publishing work as a ministry of this communion.
In his encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo XIV writes: “In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace” (#15). His vision perfectly aligns with Ave’s publishing ministry over the last 160 years. We pride ourselves on gathering people into a family of faith that extends from our team to authors to readers and partners. Insofar as AI allows us to improve our effectiveness in sharing God’s Word, we will use it with care, but our mission remains to set hearts on fire, which is a uniquely human endeavor requiring creativity, wisdom, and the grace of the Holy Spirit.
For Ave Authors and Creators
Publishing is a partnership that fundamentally relies on a chain of trust between the publisher, author or creator, and reader. That trust is preserved through transparency and accountability, and we are known as a publishing house that brings intentionality and authenticity to all our relationships.
We applaud authors who have a principled stance against AI informing their work. For more than 160 years, we have shared the best Catholic writing in America, and we will continue to prize original, credible witnesses of faith and excellent writing. As Pope Leo writes, “It is imperative to cultivate hearts that love the truth, prefer what is right despite the most appealing content, and pursue wisdom rather than immediate results” (Magnifica Humanitas, 237).
If an author wants to use generative AI to assist their work, some principles are emerging about how to do so responsibly:
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Data protection is a high priority. Unpublished manuscripts, personal data, contracts, and confidential material must not be fed into consumer AI tools. Authors should not share unpublished material with an AI system, even if data training controls are activated.
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Human accountability is paramount. Authors are fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity, and integrity of their content. Authorship requires the ability to assume responsibility, consent to publication, and provide contractual assurances, which are uniquely human responsibilities. Generative AI tools must not be listed as an author or co-author. Works that do not bear the marks of human authorship are not eligible for copyright protection. We ask all of our contributors to disclose the extent to which AI informs their work.
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While AI might support the creative process, it must not replace it. We respect careful use of AI for clarity, exploration, idea generation, or interactive online search. If AI is used to develop ideas or insights, the author must write the text in their own language before adopting it, ensuring their own thinking and voice prevail. Any AI tools must have data training options turned off.
Ave staff might use AI tools in the creation of supporting marketing and promotional materials, such as the shaping of descriptive copy for discovery on search engines or the modification of product images for different sizes of social media posts. But Ave team members do not upload unpublished work to AI models–even with data training options turned off–and do not use AI to create covers. The copyright page in our books states that published work may not be used to train AI systems. We carefully manage AI use by our contributors to ensure that freelance editors and illustrators bring original, human-created work to each book.
