Victor EzejaAs the disruptive tendencies of one of the 21st century digital technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), continue to unfold, Christian churches have been called upon to not only lead the campaign against unethical use of AI but also deploy it to spread the gospel.
CEO of Newstide Publications Limited, publishers of Prime Business Africa, Dr Marcel Mbamalu, made this call during a paper presentation at Communication Week programme organised by the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha on Friday, 10 May, 2024.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSpeaking on the topic ‘Artificial Intelligence and Nigeria’s Education System’ at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, Dr Mbamalu noted that given the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence, it has both positive and negative ends depending on who uses it and for what purpose.
He explained that AI, apart from being like computer systems and programs, which are built to perform definite tasks according to the written codes, “is created to think, and to use a continuous inflow of self-generated data to analyze new situations and provide answers or perform new tasks or respond to changing situations.”
He added that AI is not simply an advancement in the automation of computerized systems but can do so many things including operating machines, generating information, taking decisions for organisations, used in production, and can also be applied in healthcare management and educational system.
He posited that the Church as a custodian of morality, cannot afford to take the back seat in campaigns and other efforts to ensure that AI is used appropriately for societal good.
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Giving background, Mbamalu stated that science and technology (the progenitor of AI) have for ages posed some of the highest levels of challenge to faith due to failure to make the right distinction between freedom and responsibility, the basic principle upon which the salvation role of Christ stands.
“Science does not make the right distinction between freedom and responsibility. Many people believe in freedom to the extent that they do with their life what they will or can as evidenced in the licentious use of AI to create deepfakes, hack bank accounts, bully people and clone websites and social media accounts of others.”
With the above, he asserted that with AI seemingly taking the lead now in “the revolutionary march of information technology, being in itself a metaphor for man challenging himself on intelligence, thinking and acting,” it has become imperative that the church, especially Catholic which maintains her belief on issues like abortion, homosexuality, celibacy, procreation and birth control, etc., initiate moves to apply AI to propagate the gospel.
How Churches can Apply AI in Evangelism
The communication scholar and media consultant suggested steps the Church can take to apply AI in spreading the gospel saying: “The church has to apply artificial intelligence in propagating the gospel by training data scientists to amass data on Christian teachings, and using it to train algorithms to answer questions about the Christian faith, including resolving the crisis between science, faith, the gospel and normal life. After all, the basic issue about AI is that computers and machines can be programmed or trained to mimic humans in the way they carry out tasks, think, feel, empathize, innovate and respond to emergencies. Algorithms can help preachers get good ideas on developing messages, and even presenting them.”
Campaigns Against Unethical Use of AI
Speaking on how the Church can lead the campaign against unethical use of AI, Mbamalu stated: “The church must partner schools and relevant government agencies to launch programmes and campaigns on the responsible use of AI. This implies that the church would engage professionals, maybe from its own folk to reduce cost.”
The media entrepreneur with over two-decade industry experience further stated that AI when deployed rightly, can assist church ministers in preparing sermons and other forms of gospel messages that could be disseminated in different formats suitable to all kinds of audiences through their social media pages, websites or blog platforms.
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He mentioned some of the tools that can be used to perform the tasks to include ChatGPT, Elicit, YouTube and OpenAI among others.
AI and Education in Education in Nigeria
Speaking on the deployment of AI in education in Nigeria, Mbamalu noted that it is still at its infancy in the country but the Federal Government through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other agencies under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, is making efforts to engage with relevant agencies in the financial and educational sectors to boost AI capacity.
He explained that AI has the capacity to enhance teaching and learning and has the goal “to prepare students skillfully for the society they will face after graduation.”
“While efforts are still at their early stages around the globe, emphasis is on responsible use, critical thinking, problem-solving, ethics, preservation of privacy and adaptability.
“The National Universities Commission (NUC) is currently working with Nigerian Universities on redesigning curricula to be in tune with the demands of the AI market.
“In this respect, there is a need for substantial interest in empirical studies on the opportunities, challenges and prospects of AI in education in Nigeria,” Mbamalu stressed.
He further advised that efforts of educational authorities in redesigning curriculum should be to develop courses to teach ethics in AI. “Such courses will of course leverage existing concepts and ideas on ethics. New perspectives in such courses will be to look at the emerging regulatory and ethical frameworks around the world, including ongoing researches and experiences on approaches to AI globally.
“The aspect of ethics is very important because both teachers and students have been known to seek AI facilities to cut corners in research and learning. We have also seen legal suits among professionals arising from ethical issues in AI use.”
Concluding his presentation, Mbamalu stressed that due to concerns about the negative use of AI, research should focus on “finding the frameworks for responsible and beneficial use, while continually adapting to the outcomes of the use of AI.”
Dr Mbamalu, a Jefferson Fellow and Member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), is aside being a Publisher and Media Consultant, also a formidable scholar with extensive research works on Renewable Energy, and Health Communication among others, published in several international journals, including SAGE.
The Communication Week (ComWeek), is an annual event organised in all dioceses and parishes of the Catholic Church in Nigeria as sanctioned by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
This year’s ComWeek which began on Sunday May 5 and will end on Sunday, 12 May 2024, focused on AI and evangelism with a central theme: “Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges for Evangelisation and Social Development.”
The programme was “designed by the CBCN to enlighten the present and future leaders of the Church on this big elephant in the room, Artificial Intelligence, which ‘may’ displace humans if care is NOT taken,” said the Director of Communications, Onitsha Archdiocese, Rev. Fr. George Adimike, in an earlier statement announcing the programme.
Fr. Adimike is a member of the Editorial Board of Prime Business Africa.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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