London, England, Sep 9, 2025 / 09:00 am
A priest and professor of bioethics has issued a grave warning about the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) companionship, highlighting the threats the new technology poses to mental health and calling on the Church to redouble its efforts to cultivate meaningful human connection.
Father Michael Baggot outlined his concerns at a conference on the ethics of AI organized by St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, which took place on Sept. 2-3 at the Gillis Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Baggot delivered the keynote address, focusing on “an ethical evaluation of the design and use of artificial intimacy technologies,” and while he acknowledged the many benefits of AI, he also warned that with “these opportunities come a new set of challenges. Ch