By Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh
The Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Femi Ajakaye, has urged journalists, creative industry professionals, and the Christian faithful to fiercely safeguard authentic human connection against the rising wave of digital alienation and artificial intelligence.
Delivering his homily at the St. Patrick Catholic Cathedral, Ado-Ekiti, to mark the 60th World Social Communication Day, a milestone he described as a “Diamond Jubilee”, Bishop Ajakaye spoke passionately on the global theme, “Preserving Human Voices and Faces”.
Reflecting on the message of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Ajakaye emphasised that the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence poses a challenge that is fundamentally human rather than technological. He warned that left unchecked, these systems risk eroding the very fabric of human relationships.
Quoting the Holy Father, Bishop Ajakaye noted:
”By stimulating human voices and faces, wisdom and knowledge, consciousness and responsibility, empathy and friendship, the systems known as artificial intelligence not only interfere with information ecosystems, but also encroach upon the deepest level of communication, that of human relationships”.
The Prelate argued that because AI is man-made, and humanity itself is inherently limited, technology can never truly replace the soul of a human being. “Since AI is man-made, and man is limited, AI can only act like human being, it can NEVER be human being,” he declared, urging the public to aggressively discard the negative aspects of digital technology while promoting its merits.
Drawing from history and philosophy, the homily traced the sacred roots of human communication, recalling how the ancient Greeks used the word prosopon (face) to describe what is before one’s gaze, and how the Latin personare (person) evokes the unmistakable sound of a voice.
Highlighting the irreplaceable nature of every individual, Bishop Ajakaye quoted the papal text:
”‘Dear brothers and sisters, our faces and voices are unique, distinctive features of every person; they reveal a person’s own unrepeatable identity and are the defining elements of every encounter with others'”; while also reminding the congregation that these attributes are physical reflections of divine love that must be actively preserved in an increasingly virtual world.
Turning his attention to daily digital habits, the Chief Shepherdof Ekiti Diocese cautioned against the growing obsession with social media and smartphones, pointing out that isolation directly fuels depression and poor mental health. He delivered a sharp reminder to modern device users:
”Communication without proper understanding is meaningless. It is not REAL. It is ARTIFICIAL. Hence, I enjoin human beings not to be addicted to mobile phones and social media. We are the owners of our mobile phones and we must never allow them to direct, lead us”.
The celebration concluded with a call for a renewed commitment to a community where physical presence takes precedence over digital screens. Bishop Ajakaye challenged the faithful to look out for one another’s happiness, concluding that “the beauty of life does not depend solely on how happy you are, but how happy other people can be through you”.
