The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) has urged media professionals to allow ethical values to guide their adoption and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) to benefit the evangelization mission of the Church in Nigeria.
Michael Nsika Umoh, national director, social communications, CSN, stated this during the 58th World Communications Day (WCD) 2024, where he disclosed that AI could be misused if those engaging it are not appropriately and ethically prepared.
“Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world of information and communication, affecting everyone, not just media professionals but everyone. We must acknowledge the excitement and confusion that comes with rapid innovation and take necessary precaution and allow ethical values to guide our deployment of the AI,” Umoh stated.
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According to him, Catholic journalists and media professionals must be educated on the ethical consideration in the use of AI for content generation. “The modern media technology in the hands of people without education is like a loaded gun waiting to explode.
“Education is truly the way to go because with education, journalists and other media professionals will come to understand what modern communication technology really is, how it should be used and the philosophy and ideologies behind its deployment,” he stated.
Umoh stated further that media literacy is very important for the Church, hence the introduction of the Communication Week, which is aimed at promoting media literacy. “The more people understand the media, the better for them and it will make them better citizens, better disciples and better Christians.
“The more people, particularly you, fellow Catholic media practitioners and Catholics in the media industry, understand this new technology, the better for our world,” he stated.
