Artificial intelligence: an invitation to live digital humanism

 

Pope Francis highlights the wonder of human intelligence reflected in technological development. However, it alerts us to possible risks in the field of ethics. How can we face these challenges as communicators?

I invite you on a journey through the past, present and future. Year 1990: I open the refrigerator, I notice that the cheese is out and I make a note to remember to go to the supermarket. 2011: One of my apps on my cell phone sends me a notification reminding me that the cheese is about to run out, so I schedule the purchase. 2024: one day before the cheese runs out, my smart refrigerator places the order at the supermarket of my choice and the cheese I love arrives at home the day before it runs out.

This is the transition we are experiencing as humanity. From manual, step-by-step processes, without traceability and long duration, we move to automated, instantaneous actions, which are triggered from patterns fed with enormous volumes of data. It sounds great, in the abstract, but this qualitative leap can lead us to serious ethical dilemmas: safety or danger; respect or dishonor; life or death.

Evolution or involution? Like everything in life, it depends. Aware of this, at the beginning of 2024, Pope Francis sent a message highlighting the wonder of human intelligence reflected in technological development, while alerting us about possible deviations with implications for the life, privacy and dignity of people. . For this reason, the Holy Father was emphatic in the adoption of artificial intelligence by and for peace.

How can communicators support this challenge?

I propose the 4 A route for communicators in the face of artificial intelligence:

1. Learn. Communicators are the first called to face fear. The capacity for wonder moves us, novelty inspires us, uncertainty summons us. Let's be the first to sign up to try a new technology to savor it, tame it, enrich ourselves and grow with it. We are your natural allies.
2. Apply. The passion for telling a good story seduces us. Communicators know how to decode the emotions of audiences to relate to them. We generate content that unlocks fears, manages frustrations and appeals to intrinsic motivations. Empathy, we are here to connect with others.
3. Analyze. We get ahead of the game. Communicators have a vocation to guide. We know that information is not neutral, that it has the power to influence the public agenda, highlight or diminish a person, highlight or make a position invisible. We are influence.
4. Contribute. We encourage action. Our commitment is of territory, not of desk. Impossible to settle for decoding a technology and not using it to share validated, rigorous, balanced information. Let us be authentic managers of a narrative of peace.

Artificial intelligence brings countless benefits and no less challenges. Let's face them from digital humanism.

This means recognizing the person behind the technology and contributing valuable content that fuels hope. Without fear, we are here to manage risk, not to flee from it.

In that framework, let us be clear about what the real dilemma is. To do this, we need a crude dose of reality to which Harvard Business Review exposed us in August 2023: “Artificial intelligence is not going to replace human beings, but human beings who successfully handle artificial intelligence will.” "They are going to replace those who do not use artificial intelligence." Are you up for the challenge?

Original source: https://www.signis.world/noticias/12-02-2024/inteligencia-artificialuna-invitacion-a-vivir-el-humanismo-digital/?lang=es

By: Albertina Navas.

Doctor in Communication, MBA and journalist. He has more than 20 years of experience serving 50 clients in the public, private and academic sectors in 20 countries. He represents Latin America at the global digital communication discussion table of the World Association of Catholic Communicators SIGNIS. She acted as facilitator of the course for young Catholic leaders Communication of faith in a digital world, of the Dicastery of Communication of the Holy See. She served as Marketing and Digital Platforms leader at the Latin American Episcopal Center (CELAM) and currently serves as director of Strategic Communication at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador.