UCAP 2025 Congress Ends with Call on African Media Institutions to “establish ethical guidelines for use of AI”

Accra, 21 August, 2025 / 3:42 PM

The Union of the African Catholic Press (UCAP) congress has ended with a call on African media institutions to develop ethical guidelines for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism.

Organized in Accra, Ghana, the August 10-17 congress brought together over 100 Catholic journalists, lecturers, content creators, and media practitioners from more than 20 countries, including 19 African nations, to reflect on the theme “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).”

In a series of resolutions and recommendations shared with ACI Africa on Wednesday, August 20, UCAP members emphasized that technological progress must never take precedence over the human person, and that the Church and media professionals alike have a responsibility to ensure that AI serves the common good.

They affirmed “the primacy of human dignity over technological advancement,” and commit Catholic journalists in Africa to “promote media practices that uphold truth, integrity, and authentic human relationships.”

UCAP members also called on African media institutions to “establish ethical guidelines for the use of AI in journalism, ensuring that technology serves the human person and the common good, and rejecting any form of manipulation, misinformation, or disinformation.”

They also commited to enhancing the professional formation of Media Practitioners in Africa by integrating modules on AI, digital literacy, and Catholic social teaching into training programs, as well as Media Education.

UCAP members said they would collaborate with Episcopal Conferences, universities, policymakers, and civil society to develop frameworks that balance technological innovation with moral responsibility.

They further commited to working actively to foster a culture of peace, reconciliation, and fraternity by giving voice to the voiceless and promoting communication that safeguards truth, freedom, justice, and solidarity.

Recommendations

In a series of recommendations, UCAP members invite governments and policymakers to “regulate the use of AI to prevent the erosion of truth, manipulation of consciences, and invasion of privacy. Invest in digital infrastructure and ethical frameworks that protect human dignity while supporting innovation.”

They call on media organizations to “adopt editorial policies that ensure AI tools do not replace human judgment, conscience, or responsibility, and establish fact-checking mechanisms and promote transparency in the use of AI-generated content.”

UCAP members further call on Catholic media professionals to commit to ongoing professional formation in technology, ethics, and communication, inspired by Catholic social teaching.

They further call on their peers to serve as “missionaries of peace and reconciliation” by resisting disinformation and promoting integrity in journalism.

They also invite Catholic media professionals to popularize the Final document of the Synod on the Synodality among Media practitioners and to ensure the document’s proper understanding in different languages, according to communities and countries.

To the Church in Africa, UCAP members say, “Continue to guide and support Catholic communicators in discerning the ethical challenges posed by AI. Encourage dioceses and Catholic institutions to invest in media education that forms journalists in truth, responsibility, and service to the common good.”