Hajja Salesjana

In order to answer to the mandate of the GC28 to respond creatively, courageously and educatively to the digital culture and the recent call of Pope Francis regarding the importance of artificial intelligence for the Church, the Sector of Salesian Social Communication has created an International Salesian Commission for Artificial Intelligence (ISCAI). ISCAI has been set up in an effort to stay relevant to the signs of the times, to reap the benefits of the fast evolving AI technology and also to empower the Salesian family and its beneficiaries with knowledge of the tools and its ethical and moral implications. The inaugural online meeting of ISCAI took place on May 7th 2024. Fr. Gildasio Mendes SDB, General Councillor for Social Communication and the Chairperson of ISCAI in his keynote address said that “the primary purpose of this commission is to reflect on Artificial Intelligence from an interdisciplinary perspective and provide guidelines for the Salesians and Educators working closely with the young.” He also went on to say that “the commission members were carefully chosen keeping in mind the larger vision of this body. There is at least one member r e p r e s e n t i n g each of the seven regions of the Salesian world. The initial team is a vibrant mix of Salesians and lay associates frombothgenders fromdifferent parts of the globe who are specialists in various aspects connected with the AI domain. There are professors, researchers, philosophers, creative professionals, computer experts and resource persons”. Fr. Mendes in his keynote address also highlighted the essential elements from the message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 57th World Day of Peace titled “Artificial Intelligence and Peace”. After the welcome and the keynote address the commission members briefly introduced themselves and presented about their areas of expertise and their creative pursuits in this field. Boldly embracing and putting to good use this evolving AI technology was the common theme that connected everyone's thought pattern. ISCAI (ANS – Rome) Top photo by Steve Johnson - Unsplash.com 10 Lulju-Settembru 2024 hajja