Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia has addressed an international theological conference in Thessaloniki, calling on the Orthodox Church to help humanity navigate the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and modern technology.

“The Church must remain a centre of true education and proper upbringing; it must also strengthen Christian values through the use of contemporary technologies. It likewise has an obligation to help people distinguish between good and evil in an environment of distorted information, so that they do not stray from the spiritual path and become enslaved solely to material values, pragmatism, and egoism,” His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, stated in the greeting address at the second international conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the journal “Theologia”, which was held in Thessaloniki.

The Patriarch called for Orthodox teaching, founded upon divine wisdom, to engage in dialogue with science and employ technology judiciously.

“You will recall that the advent of global communication networks and new technologies has created a situation that has become one of the principal challenges of our era.

People now have limitless opportunities for interaction and information exchange, alongside new methods of distance learning, research, and access to medical or psychological support. The use of these technologies has unprecedentedly accelerated the collection and processing of information, making the knowledge accumulated by humanity over centuries readily accessible to each of us.

However, alongside the benefits, artificial intelligence also harbours significant dangers, dangers that could plunge the world into chaos and lead it to commit grave sins previously unknown. Society recognises this, and efforts are already underway to establish protective mechanisms. Yet, the question remains: how capable will we be of taking the right measures, and how effective will these actions ultimately prove?” states Patriarch Ilia II’s greeting.

“Today, the Church must continue to serve as a centre of genuine education and proper upbringing, strengthening Christian values through the use of modern technologies. It also has a duty to assist people in discerning between good and evil in an environment of distorted information, ensuring they do not stray from the spiritual path and become enslaved solely to material values, pragmatism, and egoism.

Orthodox teaching, rooted in divine wisdom and revelation, must, through dialogue with science and the judicious application of technology, become a guiding light for humanity towards a just and secure future.

Before us lies this greatest, most complex, yet utterly vital task to be undertaken,” he declared.

Georgia’s Patriarch expressed gratitude to Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece for organising the conference on the theme “Orthodox Theology and the Ontology of Technology: Anthropological, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Consequences”.