Summary
At its 2026 Annual Regional Seminar, the Catholic Church in northern Thailand gathered nearly 200 priests, five bishops, and several delegates from neighboring Laos. The seminar focused on the Vatican document Antiqua et Nova: Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education. The main speaker was Fr. Joseph Anucha Chaiyadej, Secretary General of the Office of Social Communication of the Bishops’ Conference, who addressed clergy and pastoral workers on the Church’s discernment regarding emerging technologies. Fr. Joseph emphasized that AI is not a true subject but an object with no conscience or life. He called for priests to use technology responsibly by avoiding allowing algorithms to dictate their story. Additionally, he highlighted the tension between statistics and wisdom in digital environments and warned about deepfakes and filter bubbles causing distortion of public discourse and damage to human dignity. Fr. Joseph encouraged clergy and Church institutions to be guided by principles of transparency, inclusion, and accountability as outlined in Antiqua et Nova for responsible use of AI in pastoral practice.
Key Topics
Vatican City, Ethics
