Cardinal slams AI use to bring back the dead

MANILA, Philippines — As the nation remembers the dead, Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David of Kalookan has raised questions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in creating images that seem to bring the dead back to life.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, David likened the use of apps “AI Afterlife” or “AI HereAfter” as a scene from a horror movie that has turned into reality.

“Perhaps the real question this Halloween is no longer whether ghosts exist, but whether we are beginning to manufacture our own,” he said.

The Kalookan prelate said there are reportedly funeral services in the United States that offer to create the likeness of a person that talks, thinks and answers the same way as the departed, and uses a cloned voice of the deceased.

Through the service, AI is reportedly fed with the deceased person’s diaries, photographs, blogs, videos, voice recordings and other personal information. AI would then recreate a remarkably lifelike digital version of the departed – one the family can continue talking to, even years after the burial.

“Imagine attending a wake. After the eulogies, the deceased himself appears on a screen, speaking in his familiar voice, thanking the mourners by name, even chatting with his children and grandchildren!” David said.

But while some might find being able to talk to a deceased relative comforting, there are others that might view it as “downright creepy.”

“But here’s what troubles me: Are we preserving the memory of our loved ones, or creating an illusion that they have never really died? Could this technology help us grieve – or prevent us from learning to let go?” the cardinal added.

The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Office of Social Communications (FABC-OSC) is urging bishops conferences in the region to adopt AI safeguards and strengthen support for digital missionaries.

In a news story posted on CBCPNews, the FABC-OSC said in a statement that it is pushing for the creation of pastoral AI policies, digital literacy programs and authentic Church resources in local languages.

“(We) encourage episcopal conferences to establish pastoral safeguards for the use of AI appropriate to their context in line with the teachings of the Church,” said the statement, signed by FABC-OSC chairman Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr., who is also the bishop of the Diocese of San Pablo, Laguna.

They also intend to establish a regional committee to train and support digital missionaries, whose work should be integrated into the Church’s evangelization mission.

The statement also warned of digital threats, including online sexual exploitation, cyber scams, deepfakes and unequal access to technology, as well as exploited labor and environmental damage linked to AI.

Prayers most important

Aside from offering flowers and lighting candles, praying for the dearly departed is the best way to remember them, according to a priest.

Fr. Vicente Gabriel Bautista, vice rector of the Manila Cathedral, said, “The best way to extend our love to the faithful departed is to offer the Holy Eucharist for them, to pray for them. Nothing tops that.”

He explained that candles and flowers are “outward expressions of love and closeness” to people we cherish and remember, “But at the top of everything, nothing beats offering masses and prayers.”