The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand (CBCT) has released new Guidelines on Digital Culture, calling for an ethical, faith-centered approach to technology and artificial intelligence (AI) that prioritizes human dignity and moral responsibility.
Issued on October 21, the document urges Catholics to see technology not as a threat but as a tool that can serve humanity and support the Church’s mission of evangelization in the digital age. Rooted in Catholic social teaching and inspired by the recent Synod of Bishops in Rome, the guidelines ask a crucial question: How can digital culture serve humanity without compromising our deepest values?
“Digital culture is profoundly transforming the human world, especially among the youth,” said Fr. Joseph Anucha Chaiyadej, secretary general of the CBCT’s Office of Social Communications, in an interview with LiCAS News. “It has altered our experience of time and space. The internet offers new opportunities for connection, but it also deepens loneliness, isolation, and marginalization.”
Fr. Anucha warned that while social media can foster community, it is often exploited for economic or political purposes, fueling ideological divisions and “verbal violence.” He emphasized that the Church must help shape the digital world into a “space for evangelization” that promotes justice, peace, and authentic human encounter.
“The Church must encourage and support digital missionaries,” he said. “Local churches should train and accompany young people who are active online, helping them use their creativity for good and to witness the Gospel.”
He urged Catholic communities to build “relationships of shared ownership” online—connections grounded in solidarity and participation rather than isolation. “The internet offers a new opportunity for the Church to move forward together, as a network of communion,” he added.
Addressing the growing influence of artificial intelligence, Fr. Anucha noted that AI has brought many benefits and eased human suffering, yet warned of its ethical risks. “AI may enhance human abilities, but it can never replace human creativity, freedom, or moral responsibility,” he said. Without proper oversight, he cautioned, AI could deepen discrimination, exploit vulnerable groups, and erode the human autonomy that defines authentic personhood.
The new CBCT Guidelines on Digital Culture reaffirm the Church’s mission to uphold human dignity and integrity in every digital interaction. The bishops urge Catholics to use technology ethically and responsibly—promoting truth, compassion, and community over division and anxiety.
“Technology must serve humanity—not the other way around,” Fr. Anucha said. “Our task as Church is to ensure that faith remains alive online, transforming digital spaces into places of hope, dialogue, and authentic Christian witness.”
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