Vatican City: A major international conference at the Vatican on Wednesday explored the growing influence of artificial intelligence on journalism, society, communication and human relationships, while warning that technology must never replace the dignity and uniqueness of the human person.
The conference, titled “Preserving Human Voices and Faces,” was organised by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication in collaboration with the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the John XXIII Foundation. The gathering brought together academics, journalists, technology experts and researchers from different parts of the world.
The discussions took place just days before the expected publication of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, which focuses on protecting human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. The conference theme also reflected the Pope’s message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications celebrated earlier this month.
Opening the event at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, said modern society faces the danger of allowing algorithms and automated systems to think and decide on behalf of people.
He warned that human beings risk surrendering their ability to think, communicate and build relationships freely if technology is allowed to dominate daily life. Ruffini stressed that preserving humanity means caring for people with responsibility and love rather than blindly trusting machines.
Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, said human beings should never be reduced to data, statistics or algorithms. He explained that preserving human voices and faces is not about protecting the past but about ensuring that people continue to flourish in a world increasingly shaped by digital systems.
Several speakers focused on the growing impact of artificial intelligence on journalism and public trust. Marijana Grbeša Zenzerović, a professor from the University of Zagreb, said AI has already transformed political communication and the way people consume news. She pointed to the spread of misinformation, manipulation and “rage baiting” online, adding that many people no longer know what information can be trusted.
Despite these concerns, she said solutions can still be found through education, responsibility and cooperation, principles highlighted by Pope Leo XIV in his communications message.
Eli Pariser, co founder of the nonprofit New Public, argued that AI itself is not necessarily harmful. He said technology can either divide people or help communities grow stronger depending on how it is designed and used. He called for a more human centred approach to digital communication that promotes healthy public conversation.
New York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hill shared examples from her reporting showing how some people are forming emotional connections with AI chatbots and slowly losing touch with reality. She warned that the inability to distinguish between truth and simulation is becoming a serious challenge for society.
Vineet Khosla from The Washington Post explained how news organisations are trying to use AI responsibly to support reporters and guide readers toward trustworthy information. He noted that younger audiences are increasingly turning to AI systems for news, making it important for credible journalism to remain present in digital spaces.
Another major topic at the conference was the growing inequality linked to artificial intelligence. Paola Ricaurte Quijano from Mexico warned that current AI systems often ignore or marginalise communities that are already underrepresented. She cited the example of an indigenous Mexican language that an AI chatbot failed to recognise, showing how entire cultures can become invisible in digital systems.
Professor Benjamin Rosman from South Africa said the biggest inequality is not simply between people who have access to AI and those who do not, but between those who are able to shape the technology and those left out of the decision making process. He called for greater African participation in global AI discussions.
Activist and researcher Joy Buolamwini also highlighted the dangers of discrimination linked to artificial intelligence, especially for people wrongly identified or harmed by automated systems. She urged governments, companies and communities to act before technology causes deeper social damage.