By ALI MUHAMMAD RABIU; Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU
Media professionals have been urged to safeguard human dignity in the face of fast-rising Artificial Intelligence (AI), to prevent technology from replacing the sacred value of human voice and face-to-face interaction.
The Catholic Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Most Reverend Anselm Pendo Lawani, made the call while speaking at the 2026 World Communications Day celebration held in Ilorin.
He described communicators as partners in the mission of Christ, whom he called “the Supreme Communicator.”
“We are communicators and faithful followers of Christ who Himself is the Supreme Communicator. He commissioned us to continue the work of preaching the Good News to all. So we follow in His footsteps,” he said.
Lawani explained that technological innovation, from the industrial revolution to modern Artificial Intelligence, has always been intended to improve human life rather than replace human beings.
According to him,
all past inventions served the human person; they did not replace or diminish human dignity, adding that Artificial intelligence must also serve humanity for good.
The Cleric stressed the need to preserve what he described as the sacredness of human identity.
“Preserving human faces and voices ultimately means protecting ourselves. We are not a species made up of biochemical algorithms. Each person has an irreplaceable vocation that is expressed through communication with others,” he said.
He warned that overreliance on AI could weaken journalism and deepen misinformation, cyberbullying, digital fraud and content manipulation, noting that digital tools must be guided by ethics and responsibility.
Lawani called for urgent digital literacy and stronger ethical training for media professionals, insisting that technology must be guided by human values.
“We need faces and voices to speak for people again. We must cherish communication as the deepest truth of humanity to which all technological innovation should be oriented,” he said.
Lawani also echoed concerns raised by Pope Leo, warning against surrendering human reasoning to machines.
