The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, has warned against the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, AI, urging caution and responsible use of the technology.
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. 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.
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.