By Fr. Ambrose Pereira, SDB
PGS Social Communications

       ZOOM Platform EAO 5 September 2022 -- The East Asia Oceania Region (EAO) held its 8th School of Formation for the delegates and participants of Social Communication on 1 September 2022. The topic for the session was: ‘Artificial Intelligence: Who controls us?’ It was facilitated by Fr Ambrose Pereira sdb, Social Communications delegate for Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands and Social Communications and Coordinator for the EAO region. 31 participants attended the Zoom online session.

       The session unfolded giving the participants an understanding of the basics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) through images and short video clips. Machine learning and deep learning were dwelt upon. Artificial Narrow intelligence, which is machine learning to perform general tasks, Artificial General Intelligence which dwells on machine intelligence to solve complex tasks faster and quicker than the human brain can do. Finally, Artificial Super Intelligence is something that is smarter than the human brain. This was questioned as a possibility for the future.

       AI has been able to change the way we live our lives. Its presence is seen in the variety of everyday tasks. During the session the group dealt with the fact that machines can never surpass human beings who have created them. However, in different ways we are led to think, believe and act by clicking without reflecting, thus permitting ourselves to be led on by the algorithms written for the device.

       In the small groups, the participants discussed the following questions: Will AI take over our lives and our world? What will be the effect on our values, faith, actions and behaviour? Can we have an ethics-based AI value system?

       The sharing revealed the need to ensure that this powerful tool should always be used to educate, empower persons and be for the good of society. We need to commit ourselves to using AI to build relationships that involve trust, promote values, culture and above all our faith.

       It is thus imperative that AI should be trusted, have stringent data security measures and abide by a code of ethics that displays transparency for the good of mankind. The participants, who are mostly educators, have agreed to journey with our young and help them think differently, that they may stop and reflect, before they click, like or forward to the content they receive.

       We thus look forward in hope that man and machine will work together not as foe, but as friend.

       We look forward to our next session – Hate Speech in social media: Consequences and Remedy by Fr. Soe Naing Mariano, sdb, on 29 September 2022.

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