Thursday, 17 April 2025

Religious coalition seeks retrospection on questions around AI

 

 

 The Nigerian Religious Coalition on Artificial Intelligence (AI), on Thursday urged greater religious engagement on questions around it.

Prof. Khalid Aliyu, Secretary-General, Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), spoke on  behalf of the group at a press briefing on Thursday in Kaduna.

The News Agency of Nigeria NAN (NAN) reports that that the coalition included: Future of Life Institute (FLI), the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) and  JNI.

Aliyu said, “Considering the impact of Mosques and Churches to the Nigerian public and community life, it is imperative to draw the attention of the public to the unassuming disruptive effects of AI.”

He said tthst there was the utmost need to enhance understanding of AI and its implications to faith and society.

According to Aliyu, this is to fully equip religious leaders to engage meaningfully in AI-related policies and regulations.

He added,” This is also in the bud to promote collaboration between faith communities and policymakers for ethical and responsible, as well as inclusive AI adoption in Nigeria.

“We, therefore, begin by expressing gratitude to the Future of Life Institute (FLI), the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), the JNI and all those who have worked tirelessly in organising this important dialogue on AI from faiths’ perspectives.

“We all should use AI with piety and we call on the government to involve religious leaders that have a fair understanding of AI and religious doctrine in developing a framework for its application in the country;

“We should harness AI tools for progress in agriculture, health and education.

“We should prohibit uncontrollable Artificial General Intelligence that will disempower human workers, undermine human relationships or decrease human agency.”

According to Aliyu, there is the urgent need to guard against AI becoming an idol or leading believers astray through manipulation.

He admonished that religious groups should be proactive to learn about AI, urging, ‘ but then be cautious in applying AI systems wholly.”

According to him, AI rashly employed, could dehumanise religious practices or be subverted by malicious actors into misleading congregations contrary to their doctrine.

“Yet careful discernment may yield useful practical applications, such as in speeding up administrative tasks.

“JNI nonetheless supports ongoing cooperation between faith communities on AI.

“Together, we can ensure that technology remains a servant of mankind, not its master.

“We look forward to continued engagement and careful reflection, rooted in the guidance of our religious teachings, “Aliyu said.

He called on the Nigerian government to engage with various religious leaders in developing tje framework and policy for AI for the Nigerian cyber space and governance.

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