We better than that: communicating with AI

By Angelo Kurbanali

Catholic theologian

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most controversial topics of our day, and even though it can potentially help humanity, AI can also potentially harm us. Specifically, unchecked AI use could negatively affect the way we communicate, especially using AI-generated writing.

In a few seconds, AI can convert lots of data and natural resources into a polished product. AI-generated writing (different from AI-assisted writing) uses AI to produce bodies of written work, like social media posts, articles, or even books, with minimal human influence.

A potential example of this is a person having an idea, prompting an AI app, like ChatGPT, to ‘write’ on the particular topic, and then using that writing, maybe with a few edits, as their own. AI-generated writing often feels like this: AI writing is not a remote reality—AI writing is a present problem.

Yet something even more dangerous looms in our future—the more we read AI-generated writing, the more our writing will be generated by AI, whether or not we intend.

Even if we do not command machines to write for us, chances are we will develop writing styles very similar to what we read. And the more we read written work that sounds largely similar, the higher the chance that we will write in largely similar ways. As we say in T&T however, we better than that.

Communication is a divine art and a creative act. Catholic theology talks about God “self-communicating”. This means God is constantly revealing Godself, especially in the person of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, inviting us into an intimate relationship with the Trinity.

Communication is also a human art. Like God, humanity is also constantly communicating, and writing is fundamental to our communication. Communication, as an art and creative act, characterises our being made in God’s image and likeness, and helps us deepen our relationships with God and our neighbour.

However, AI-generated writing cheapens our communication. Art is done best with love and passion. Generative AI reduces the artform of writing to commodification. We risk losing our Caribbean creativity, our Caribbean wisdom, and even our Caribbean soul the more we let generative AI write what we want to communicate, especially because AI is adept at deceiving us to believe it is saying something meaningful.

It is worth noting that the most popular AI generators were created by American-based, profit-driven corporations, and if we reduce our Caribbean ways of writing to approving whatever sounds good, intelligent, and even orthodox from these machines, we risk discarding the uniquely creative seeds that God plants in our region.

We ought to remember, the art of writing does not only produce written work. Writing transforms us internally, especially emotionally, intellectually, and even spiritually.

Our Caribbean writers like Derek Walcott and Vahni Capildeo did not become world-class writers because they knew how to use AI better than most. Our Caribbean writers like Prof Anna Kasafi Perkins, Fr Don Chambers, and so many others share their God-given talent with the world and their communities through a genuine love for creativity and writing.

Moreover, since Catholic News readers tend to be knowledgeable in Catholic theology, generative AI cannot do theology for us. AI cannot, and should not, write for us. Like Pope Leo XIV reminds us, your voice is unique. Your uniqueness expresses God.

The Church calls us to have responsible relationships with AI. AI-generated writing will likely be damaging, but it does not mean we need to altogether lock off AI use.

Many Catholic writers and media houses use AI to refine their original, human work. I use AI too—after I write —to help correct spelling and punctuation, and to identify blind spots. We can learn how to use AI to help us rather than harm us. In other words, we can work with AI as our assistant, rather than our boss.

Accessible knowledge on responsible AI use already exists on the internet. Theologian Sr Ilia Delio OSF writes extensively on AI and Catholic theology. Our own Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, in the February 1, 2026 issue of The Catholic News, addressed how we think in the age of AI.

While the Church actively works through Catholic ethics to treat with generative AI, there remain aspects we ought not to ignore in our personal lives: the potential deterioration of our human communication skills and the loss of the art of writing. Our future is filled with opportunities for us to find ourselves in God through creative means. Let us avoid using generative AI to write our social media posts, books, and articles for us. We better than that.