Should Priests Use Artificial Intelligence in their Ministry?

by Fr Earl Allyson Valdez

Photo from Architects’ Journal

A few months ago, one of the burning questions that were related to evangelizing in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) was its use in writing homilies and reflections. There were priests and ministers who received criticisms after having supported the use of AI in writing homilies and reflections, saying that priests can do better than just ask information-processing machines to explain the gospel. This prompted me to reflect and think for a while, given that in many aspects of life at this point, AI has played a major role, and has become both a help and a hindrance in learning, information processing, and critical thinking. 

And given the availability and accessibility of AI that comes in the form of generative and interactive chatbots (for example, Chat GPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, etc.), I believe that priests not only can but also should use them. However, we must highlight that its use must be clearly as an aid and not as a replacement for reflection. Allow me to nuance this further in the spirit of the Church’s current teaching on artificial intelligence. 

The Vatican’s Antiqua et Nova provides us some general guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence, with much attention on its relationship with the human intellect. Photo from EDB

The first thing that the Church reminds us is the fact that despite the immense powers of Artificial Intelligence that surpass the common way of processing information that we humans do, it remains to be a piece of technology. In other words, it comes from human hands, works with human interests, and still remains within human limitations (see Antiqua et Nova [AN], n. 3). Simply put, while we can do basically almost everything when it comes to creating and processing information with the aid of artificial intelligence, whether partially or completely, we must be aware that there is a stark difference between the way our mind works and how AI operates, and that there are still things that the latter cannot do compared to the former. 

One among these things is the fact that we as human subjects are capable not just of processing information, but also reflecting upon them given our total human experience in all its aspects. Our bodily existence, which includes our physical and emotional states, limit and shape the way we understand who we are and what we know; but more than that, we have the capacity to not just process information, organize it, and establish connections with each other. 

Photo from The New York Times

At a quite higher and totally different level of thinking, there lies the capacity of insight and reflection, which considers things in the light of our embodied existence, our relationship with others, our dreams, ambitions, and aspirations, and most importantly, our sense of being a self that is united. 

It can be argued that these are characteristics that probably could be simulated by AI systems by just looking at how the body works when we perform the task of reflection. And given the possibilities of what AI can do, there would come a time that it can actually simulate what it feels like to be human. Or perhaps, they could learn to dream and hope as human beings do. 

However, in the end, one could say that artificial intelligence only remains within the limits of the purpose with which they are developed and the limitations with which they were designed, things that our human spirits would infinitely transcend. And this could be seen in the way that we ourselves transcend our own self-understanding and our self-expectations whenever we think and reflect on ourselves, most especially when our experiences and insights on life are brought by our own limitations and capacities as human beings.

Photo from StockCake

And perhaps it is in this same vein that we can see the aid that artificial intelligence can give as well as its limits insofar as homilies are concerned. It is true that, as we speak, artificial intelligence can give us interpretations and insights on the gospel that are perfectly written and are faithful to the teachings of the Church (as a side note, one should definitely check out Magisterium AI, which answers queries and develops reflections based on Church teaching). In plain sight, it seems that it can just churn out a well-written homily and deliver it to people. There’s no doubt that it provides the help that we ministers need. 

However, their well-written homilies still need to be delivered to the public, and even if it was read in the clearest, and even most passionate way possible, I doubt that purely AI-generated homilies could move the hearts and minds of the faithful. Without prayer and reflection, any interpretation of the gospel may be informative and even astounding to some extent, but it lacks the life-giving element that grounds the preacher to the text that he is delivering to the faithful. In the end, it comes out as a contradiction, as a homily becomes a mix of life-giving words but lacking the life that only the Gospel can provide. 

Image from morethanuseless.com

With this in mind, we remind ourselves that what matters in the end is how we live out what we understand and consequently tell others, most especially when it comes to delivering homilies and other means of evangelization. Perhaps there will come a time in which Artificial Intelligence could mimic and simulate human experience, but what we can say for now is that the difference that lies between us persons and AI is our ability to deepen our capacity to reflect and think about our experiences. And I would wager that we can have a deeper understanding of who we are once we discover the expanding limits of AI, which reveals an even deeper expanse of humanity that it cannot fathom or imitate. 

So should priests use AI in making their homilies? I would say once again that by all means we should, especially when needed. Let it be an opportunity to be aware of how it works and how it uses information that springs forth from our Tradition. Let it be an opportunity to learn how to prompt it to give the best things that would help us. 

But remember, that piece of reflection is not the one that goes to the lectern and addresses the people. Rather, it is the minister, in his limited but capable self that has gone through life and experienced God’s mercy in His life, that addresses the people and joins them in meditating on the Word.