Oluwakemi Akinleye fsp
“Artificial Intelligence and the Wisdom of the Heart: Towards Fully Human Communication” is the theme of Pope Francis' message for the 58th World Day of Social Communication.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), simply defined as “technology that enables computers and machines to imitate human intelligence and problem-solving abilities”, has become a part of our lives in the digital age. . Various applications for artificial intelligence are increasing day by day and they are a gift to our generation which should be used wisely.
Pope Francis shares our concern.
In a world filled with the grace of God and the continuous advancement of human inventions, apart from the reality of the growing disparity between the digital haves and have-nots, artificial intelligence comes as an invaluable tool to enhance our lives and in No doubt, perhaps, creating more inequality as well. As many of us are still trying to understand what artificial intelligence is and what it fully represents, Pope Francis shares our anxiety, as he exhorts us, “Amazed. The rapid spread of innovations, whose functions and capabilities are beyond our ability to understand and appreciate, has proved fascinating and disturbing.”
Creative uses of artificial intelligence in fields as diverse as science and medicine have demonstrated that it can perform tasks on its own or in conjunction with other technologies such as robotics, sensors and geolocation, for which human intelligence would otherwise fail. will be needed. Generative AI tools, digital assistants and GPS guidance that we now use every day are some of the amazing innovations of artificial intelligence. Yet as Pope Francis says, it is “at this moment in history, in which technology threatens to become rich and humanity impoverished,” that “our thoughts must begin with the human heart.”
Our use of AI requires wisdom.
Why do we need the wisdom of the heart to guide our use of artificial intelligence or machine learning? Pope Francis reminds us that, “The wisdom of the heart is the quality that allows us to unite the whole and its parts, our decisions and their consequences, our nobility and weakness, our past and our future, our individuality and our membership. Enables a larger community. It's a fact that machines are “infinitely more capable of storing and interacting with data than humans are,” says Pope. Only humans have the ability to understand this data.” Therefore, God's light and wisdom are always necessary for humans to use technology more usefully and life-givingly than it harms.
Media use of AI
In relation to media, the use of artificial intelligence can make a huge positive contribution to the work of media professionals, communicators and consumers. This can be achieved by “upholding the professional values of communication, making each communicator more aware of his or her responsibilities, and enabling all people to be informed participants in the work of communication.” “
As we celebrate World Communications Day this year, we remember and stand with all those who work with the media, especially those who work in difficult places and those who face wars, insecurity And have lost their lives in the line of duty due to natural calamities. Their efforts and sacrifices yielded hope and peace.