“AI doesn’t affect me. I have no computer.” This is a quote I heard from an older person recently. While it sounds very comforting for the person – is it really true?

There have been cyber attacks for many years. These attacks target computer systems and try to compromise confidentiality, integrity or access to the content on the specific computer. So, if you don’t have a computer, you are not affected? Unfortunately, this approach is naïve in today’s world – not only in ‘Western Civilisations’, but in most countries around the globe.
Internet has changed the world, in a good sense and in a threatening sense. As the word itself makes it very clear, it is about a net of computer systems that are inter-connected beyond our trusted circles and hence while the Internet can ease long-distant communication, spread and share knowledge – it also makes us vulnerable.
With most computers today depending on access to the Internet, we need mechanisms against potential attacks.

However, even if we completely abstain from using any computer, we can still be ‘attacked’. As soon as we are registered as a citizen, a patient, a consumer, an owner of a bank account, a member of a group etc., it is likely that our personal data will be in the hands of others – and probably accessible through the Internet. We have to trust in their systems to keep our data safe and secure against any cyber attacks.
Apart from our personal data, cyber attacks can also affect us when we rely on systems that are controlled by computer systems.

A recent incident was the attack on the computer systems that control the temperatures of supermarket fridges in France.
What happened? The big supermarket chains are using remote computer systems to control the temperature in their fridges. On 11 October 2026, hackers managed to get into the control system and manipulated the software used by several supermarket chains in France. They increased the temperature in the fridges and freezers considerably which literally made the ice cream melt. In hundreds of stores across the country, all food in these refrigeration systems was spoiled and in some cases, fires broke out.

In this attack, the temperature was manipulated so drastically that the results were spotted easily – but what would happen if the hackers had manipulated refrigeration systems in hospitals where a slight increase or decrease of temperature might not be noticed but could potentially become lethal?

The blame for the attack is ongoing. The supermarkets blame the software. The software company blames the supermarkets for not having implemented the newest updates. Some insurance companies have indicated that the damage to the supermarkets is not covered by their policies.
Even if it is not clear who the hackers were – they might not be held accountable. If AI was part of the hacking scheme, human hackers could hide behind AI and blame technology.

Pope Leo XIV raised this question in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas: who will be held accountable for damage caused by AI?
As long as software developers can hide behind AI without being held accountable, the chances of similar attacks will grow. As we have seen with the incident around Hugging Face, if developers tell AI to do something, AI will go ahead and do so – without any ethical constraints or the fear of being caught and jailed.

There is a reason for the term ‘cyber attack’. It is a one-sided ‘attack’. The supermarkets were not at war with the computer system, but they have to bear the consequences on a material and reputational level.

The bigger question might be: how safe are we as consumers, patients etc. when it comes to attacks that are out of our control?
The Governments need to take threats of cyber attacks seriously and need to be prepared. By paying taxes, we have to be able to trust that not just roads and bridges are kept maintained and safe, but also our data, our food and medicine – and everything that can impact our lives. Maybe a kind of “Warrant of Fitness” for computer systems used in public spaces?

Pope Leo XIV reminded us of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. These are principles that can guide us when deciding who to vote for but also to stay active – even, and maybe especially, if we don’t feel that our voices and concerns are heard.

BM