African Catholic Journalists Call for Ethical AI in Media
More than 100 Catholic journalists, lecturers, and media practitioners from 19 African countries gathered in Accra, Ghana, from 10–17 August for the Triennial Continental Congress of the African Catholic Union of the Press (UCAP). The Congress centred on the theme: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).”
Participants deliberated on the ethical challenges and opportunities posed by AI, emphasising the importance of safeguarding human dignity, truth, and integrity in the use of emerging technologies in journalism.
At the conclusion of the Congress, UCAP issued a series of resolutions:
- Safeguarding Human Dignity: Promoting media practices that prioritise truth, integrity, and authentic human relationships over technological advancement.
- Ethical Use of AI: Encouraging African media institutions to adopt guidelines ensuring AI serves the common good and rejects manipulation or disinformation.
- Strengthening Media Education: Integrating AI, digital literacy, and Catholic social teaching into journalist training programmes.
- Collaboration with Church and Civil Society: Developing frameworks that balance technological innovation with moral responsibility.
- Promoting a New Ethic of Communication: Fostering peace, reconciliation, and solidarity through responsible journalism.
The Congress also issued recommendations to governments, media organisations, Catholic media professionals, and the Church in Africa. These included regulating AI to protect privacy and truth, establishing editorial policies to safeguard human judgment, and enhancing media education and professional formation inspired by Catholic social teaching.
UCAP pledged to develop a continental charter on AI and ethical journalism and to organise workshops, exchange programmes, and research initiatives on the intersection of faith, media, and AI.
In a vote of thanks at the closing ceremony, participants expressed gratitude to Almighty God, Archbishop Julien Kaboré, Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Dr Paolo Ruffini of the Vatican, and UCAP leadership, including President Charles Ayetan, for their guidance and support.
The Congress underscored UCAP’s commitment to ensuring that technological advancement in African media respects human dignity, ethical responsibility, and the timeless values of the Gospel, while empowering Catholic journalists to act as artisans of peace, truth, and reconciliation across the continent.
