Catholic Bishops Caution Against Unchecked AI Development, Call For Moral Framework.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, has warned against the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, AI, urging caution and responsible use of the technology.
The warning coincides with the Pope’s expected participation in the G7 summit, where insiders suggest he would advocate ethical framework for AI development.
The Bishops voiced their concerns during the maiden Communication Week Public Lecture of the Catholic Church held in Abuja yesterday, with the theme, ”Artificial Intelligence and Wisdom of the Heart: for a fully human communication.”
CBCN President, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, emphasized the need for ethical considerations in AI development and deployment.
Archbishop Ugorji underscored the benefits of AI, stating: “AI has permeated various facets of life… Today, computers can perform tasks traditionally requiring human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, recognizing patterns, learning from data, and making decisions.
“Despite the enormous benefits, the development and deployment of AI digital technology must be approached with ethical rigour.”
He stressed the church’s commitment to addressing the ethical concerns surrounding AI.
“We wish to create awareness of the revolutionary positive impact on humanity and society by AI, while raising the ethical concerns that arise from its abuse,” he said.
Archbishop Ugorji stated that guided by Vatican II Decree on the Means of Social Communication, Inter Mirifica no. 2, the church recognized its responsibility to educate the faithful on the positive and negative influences of the media.
Consequently, the CBCN President, who stressed the need for balance, said further: “We must strive for a balance that prioritizes human welfare alongside technological progress, mindful of the ethical and moral dilemmas, as well as risks such as job displacement, threat to peace in the world, spread of falsehood through propaganda, manipulation of the human person, and privacy concerns through advanced hacking and deepfakes.”
Earlier in his remarks, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, commended Pope Francis for his courageous stance on Artificial Intelligence.
He noted that the Pope’s warnings on AI dangers, which had been consistent, had resonated beyond church circles, reaching the highest levels of the international community.
According to him, the Prime Minister of Italy, Mrs. Giorgia Meloni, has invited the Pope to participate in the upcoming G7 summit, the first for a pope.
He emphasized the importance of the Pope’s warning, while highlighting the church’s position on scientific progress.
Onaiyekan stated: “It is not everything we can do that we should do. Even scientific progress must be subject to human, moral, and ethical control. This is a responsibility that humanity abdicates at its great peril.
“All scientific progress is a gift of God to humanity, to be used for human well-being to the glory of God. The same is true for AI, which is the latest in a rapidly changing human control of power and machines from mechanical to electrical and electronic and now computer and digital tools.”
The Cardinal also acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding AI’s future, saying “we don’t know how far developments in this regard will go but the warning of Pope Francis remains valid.”
In a thought-provoking lecture, Prof Anthony Akinwale, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos State, argued that Artificial Intelligence lacked consciousness and free will, and, therefore, could not be considered truly intelligent.
Prof. Akinwale, who noted that intelligence required self-consciousness and self-volition, which AI systems do not possess.
He explained: “The operations of an intelligent agent are not only intending object, but also conscious operations of the agent.
“Self-consciousness of an intelligent agent means when an intelligent agent operates, not only is the object on which the intelligent agent operates present to the agent, but also the intelligent agent is present to himself.”
Akinwale also highlighted the importance of ethical considerations in the development and deployment of AI.
He warned that AI systems could be used to spread misinformation and propaganda, and stressed the need for responsible decision-making in the development of AI.
“Communication is not just dissemination of information, but an act of love in which heart speaks to heart.
“Reduced to mere dissemination of information, it precipitously degenerates into dangerous misinformation, into a powerful propaganda machinery of negative social engineering,” he added.
Other bishops, panelists, and critical stakeholders, who spoke, emphasized the need for a wise approach to guide the development and deployment of AI, highlighting the importance of the church’s mission of evangelisation in the context of development and AI.
