Artificial Intelligence, Silence, and Spiritual Growth: Reflections from Fátima
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, Fátima, Portugal (Credits: Ana-Paula Correia)
Recently, I spent time in Fátima, Portugal, a place I return to year after year, not out of routine, but out of quiet necessity. Known around the world for its Catholic significance, Fátima has become, for me, something far more universal: a sanctuary of stillness, clarity, and presence. It’s a space that transcends denominations, inviting anyone, regardless of faith or background, to pause, reflect, and reconnect with something deeper.
Amid other pilgrims and flickering candles, I found myself thinking not only about peace in the world, but about the quieter question of how we grow, how we learn to become who we are meant to be. And strangely, inevitably, my thoughts turned to artificial intelligence (AI).
What does a pilgrimage have to do with algorithms?
What might AI have to offer not just our work and knowledge, but our spirit?
This reflection lives at that crossroads: where the sacred meets the digital, and where technology might one day help us not only do more but be more.
The Story of Fátima
The significance of Fátima comes from a series of events in 1917, when three shepherd children, Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, described seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary. These “aparições,” or apparitions, became the foundation of Fátima’s sacred identity. According to the children, the Lady delivered messages calling for prayer, repentance, and peace, especially in the context of the global unrest of the time. The final vision, witnessed by a crowd of thousands on October 13, 1917, included what came to be known as the “Miracle of the Sun,” where observers reported seeing the sun dance across the sky.
Though interpretations of the apparitions vary—ranging from devout belief to skepticism, theological debate to psychological reflection—the one shared element is the central role of spirituality in the human experience. Regardless of one’s religious orientation, Fátima invites individuals into a moment of sacred pause.
Spirituality and Consciousness
In my visits to Fátima, I often find a kind of spaciousness that allows my inner world to come into sharper focus. My priorities feel clearer. The clutter falls away. I experience a collective resonance toward peace, a peace for the world, but also a peace that starts within. It is in this atmosphere of contemplation and deep presence that I reflect not only on what matters to me, but on the human capacity for spiritual seeking.
And yet, as I return to my work in education and technology, a question lingers: What does a personal, spiritual pilgrimage have to do with EdTech? Why bring Fátima into a conversation about AI?
It’s because this experience, year after year, reminds me that the human experience is multi-dimensional. We are not just learners and producers of knowledge; we are also feelers, seekers, and beings capable of remarkable things. Spirituality, as I’ve come to understand it, is one of the many facets of being human. It transcends rituals or beliefs; it is about connection, connection with ourselves, with others, and with something greater than ourselves.
Often, we equate spirituality with consciousness, but I see a distinction between the two. Consciousness refers to our awareness of ourselves, our thoughts, and our environment. It is the mental presence we bring to the world. Spirituality, on the other hand, extends beyond that awareness. It encompasses meaning, transcendence, and a felt sense of purpose or interconnectedness. Where consciousness is about being awake, spirituality is about being anchored, sometimes in mystery, sometimes in peace, but always in the richness of being.
Beyond Algorithms: Insights from Social-Emotional Human Development
Much of what we currently explore with AI is grounded in cognitive tasks: optimization, productivity, pattern recognition, and decision-making. The promises of AI are often measured in terms of speed, efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. These are valid and useful dimensions. But they are not the only ones.
In our pursuit of more intelligent machines, we risk ignoring, or undervaluing, the social-emotional dimensions of human development: our emotional resilience, our spiritual growth, our inner peace. Can AI serve these aspects as well? Can it support us not only in doing but also in being?
Scholars such as Zarkadakis (2017) argue that AI must evolve beyond utilitarian applications and move toward systems that support human progress. Zarkadakis’s work invites us to reimagine the design and application of intelligent systems, not only for what we can accomplish but for who we become through our interactions with AI, ultimately revealing new dimensions of our humanity.
Can AI Be a Support for Spiritual Growth?
In recent years, AI has begun entering spiritual spaces. Meditation apps like Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer use AI to personalize mindfulness content. Chatbots like Replika offer personal companionship that many users describe as deeply reflective. Even experimental AI companions have been created to guide people through spiritual inquiry or to recommend readings from sacred texts based on mood or intention.
But these examples are still limited in their depth. What if we could imagine a future where AI is designed not only to support our outer lives but to nourish our inner lives?
For example, reflective journaling tools that ask meaningful questions, not in the mechanical way of a form-filler, but in the form of a spiritual guide. This isn’t about replacing human spirituality. It’s about supporting it, honoring it, and making space for it in our increasingly technological lives.
Learning to Be
As educators and technologists, we often talk about lifelong learning, but we tend to focus on skills, competencies, and cognitive development. Rarely do we ask: how are we helping people learn to be?
To learn about ourselves is just as essential as learning about the world. To recognize our inner voices, our contradictions, our longings, and to come to peace with them, is a lifelong journey. Spirituality offers one of the few frameworks in modern life where the focus is not on output or competition, but on inner transformation and compassion.
In Fátima, silence is not empty; it is full. Full of questions, of hope, of grace. It is this silence that led me to reflect on the place of AI in fostering spiritual well-being. Could an AI system help people turn inward more intentionally? Could it facilitate group rituals of peace, reflection, or solidarity?
I’m not suggesting that technology can replace what makes sacred places like Fátima special. But I am suggesting that the contemplative lessons we learn in such places should not be left behind when we design and build the next generation of AI systems.
AI should not be built only for optimization. It should be built for empathy, for connection, for healing. In education, this means developing tools that help students not only pass tests but also reflect on their values. In governance, it means designing systems that prioritize dignity and fairness for all. And in our personal lives, it means using technology not only to distract us, but to deepen us.
My annual pilgrimage to Fátima reminds me that we are more than minds, we are whole beings. And while AI may never have a soul, it can be part of the infrastructure that supports our own soul work. The sacred is not limited to sanctuaries. It can live in how we design, how we teach, and how we imagine the future. In a fast-paced world, let’s not forget the wisdom of silence, the power of intention, and the richness of spiritual presence.
Reference:
Zarkadakis, G. (2017). In Our Own Image: Savior or Destroyer? The History and Future of Artificial Intelligence. Pegasus Books.
Please cite the content of this blog:
Correia, A.-P. (2025, August 28). Artificial Intelligence, Silence, and Spiritual Growth: Reflections from Fátima. Ana-Paula Correia’s Blog. https://www.ana-paulacorreia.com/blog/artificial-intelligence-silence-and-spiritual-growth-reflections-from-fatima