Fr. Jackson Louis Explores the Role of AI in the Pastoral Ministry at SIGNIS 2025

Hyderabad, 18 February 2025: At the ongoing SIGNIS Assembly in Hyderabad, Fr. Jackson Louis, Secretary of the Commission for Social Communications, Dharmapuri Diocese, delivered an insightful presentation on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in pastoral ministry.

A pioneer in Catholic media and technology, Fr. Jackson—the founding General Manager – Technical at Madha TV—has been instrumental in integrating digital tools into Catholic communications. His session at SIGNIS 2025 underscored AI’s growing impact on evangelization, faith formation, and Church administration.

Fr. Jackson began by demystifying AI, explaining it as the ability of machines to simulate human intelligence in problem-solving, perception, decision-making, and communication.

He also emphasized the importance of understanding the limitations of AI, noting that it is a sophisticated data processor, not a sentimental being with emotions. He stressed the need for clear purpose and caution when engaging with AI.

The presentation also explored the potential applications of AI in pastoral ministry, including evangelization, faith formation, parish administration, and pastoral care. Fr. Louis encouraged the audience to integrate AI into their formation and ministry, while emphasizing the need for transparency, inclusion, accountability, impartiality, reliability, and human-centeredness.

The session concluded with a call to action, urging the audience to consider the role of AI in their ministry and to develop safeguards to ensure responsible AI use. As the church continues to navigate the complexities of the digital age, Fr. Louis' presentation provided a timely and insightful exploration of the possibilities and challenges of AI in pastoral ministry.

Fr. Ritchie Vincent

Secretary, Commission for Social Communications

Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore