In today’s communication ecosystems, technology influences interactions like never before: from algorithms that curate content in  news feeds  to artificial intelligence that composes texts and entire conversations. Humanity today has possibilities that were unthinkable just a few years ago. But while these tools offer efficiency and reach, they cannot replace the uniquely human capacities for empathy, ethics, and moral responsibility. Public communication requires human judgment, not just data patterns. The challenge is to ensure that humanity remains the guiding agent. The future of communication must be one where machines are tools serving and connecting human life, not forces that erode the human voice.

We have great opportunities. At the same time, the risks are real. Artificial intelligence can generate compelling but misleading, manipulative, and harmful content, replicate biases and stereotypes present in training data, and amplify misinformation by simulating human voices and faces. It can also invade people’s privacy and intimacy without their consent. Overreliance on AI weakens critical thinking and creative skills, while monopolistic control of these systems raises concerns about the centralization of power and inequalities.

It is urgent to introduce media literacy into educational systems, including Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy (MAIL). As Catholics, we can and must make our contribution so that people—especially young people—may acquire the capacity to think critically and grow in spiritual freedom.

*Communiqué from the Dicastery for Communication