The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has warned against abusing the use of Artificial intelligence (AI), News About Nigeria reports.
The CBN President, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, gave this warning during the maiden Communication Week Public Lecture of the Catholic Church held in Abuja on Thursday, with the theme, ”Artificial Intelligence and Wisdom of the Heart: for a fully human communication.”
He noted that ethical considerations are necessary for the development and deployment of artificial intelligence in the country, adding that AI digital technology must be approached with ethical rigour.
Rev. Ugorji also stated that AI possesses lots of benefits, including performing tasks traditionally requiring human intelligence, understanding natural language, recognising patterns, learning from data, and making decisions, among others.
“AI has permeated various facets of life… Today, computers can perform tasks traditionally requiring human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, recognising 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 stated.
He further noted that the bishops aimed to create awareness of the revolutionary positive impact of AI on humanity and society while also raising the ethical concerns that arise from its abuse, adding that there is a need for a balance that prioritises human welfare alongside technological progress.
“We must strive for a balance that prioritises human welfare alongside technological progress, mindful of 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,” the Bishop added.
