By Religious groups in Nigeria are worried about how the deployment of Artificial Intelligence would affect their belief and the practice of their religion.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the Nigeria Religious Coalition on Artificial intelligence (Christian Council of Nigeria, Institute of Church and Society Ibadan (CCN-ICS) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), group warned: “We should guard against AI becoming an idol or leading believers astray through manipulation”.
Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West, Methodist Church Nigeria, Rt. Rev. E. Oluyinka Akande told journalists in Lagos South-west Nigeria, the call for the ethical use of AI to protect religious belief in the country was a foundation laying-stone in the struggle to protect the rights of adherents of both faith in the country.
According to him, the Nigeria Religious Coalition on Artificial intelligence, which has the support of the United States of America based Future Life Institute is considering a national summit where a policy document on religion and AI deployment would be presented to Government.
While calling for religious engagement on questions around AI, the clergy urged for the harnessing of AI tools for progress in agriculture, health and education stressing the need .to prohibit uncontrollable Artificial General Intelligence that will disempower human workers, undermine human relationships or decrease human agency.
“Specifically on religious applications: religious groups should be proactive to learn about but cautious to apply AI systems. AI, rashly employed, could dehumanise religious practices or be subverted by malicious actors into misleading congregation’s contrary to their doctrine. Yet careful discernment may yield useful practical applications, such as in speeding up administrative tasks’, said the Bishop at the press conference, which had as its theme: ‘God in Machine’
Feeding questions after the media chat, he said: “If you approach it with the point of view that you want to make it to do positive things, you will do that. When you see our society, we have so many people around this time around that they are always out to make or to profit from whatever you have put on ground. AI, if we are not careful, will get to a stage that people will not come to church or for worship again.”
On how AI can affect religion, Akande said: “Whatever you think you want to offer them, either in the church or mosque, within one second, they can get it from AI. Therefore, with that, it can affect religion negatively. At the same time, when we are talking of advancing our faiths, AI can also advance our faiths.”
While stating the AI has come to stay, the Bishop noted: “the good aspects that it has, it depends on how one approaches the use of AI” stressing that “the problem with AI is that AI has is that, as Jesus has spoken, that it doesn’t have human feelings, and it does not have room for Holy Spirits. It is what is programmed that it gives out.”
Also responding to questions from the media, the General Secretary, Christian Council of Nigeria, Rt Rev Evans Onyemara, noted that AI lacks the ability to express a belief stressing that there is nothing AI can offer as far as faith is concerned.
He added: “If the AI can preach, is sermon the only reason why we come to God or to the church? The answer is no. The work of the priest is vicarious. Somebody who stands between, that is the role that Christ also has done for us who are Christians.”
He however noted the possibility of AI advancing religious faith saying that “there are the positive aspects. It helps us to gather information. It helps us to bring preaching and teching materials together.”
