Rohith Kinattukara
2024 saw a great set of technological advancements that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Artificial Intelligence was the number one searched topic when it came to technology last year, with the likes of AI not going anywhere and the phrase “just ChatGPT it” becoming a very normal part of our daily conversations. Catholics and the Church has started to adapt technology unlike ever before. There are some trends that might be interesting for the Catholic community to look out for.
AI the obvious
Like every year since the birth of ChatGPT, AI has been the hot topic for trends in technology. Everyone learns how to talk to the machine and others try to stretch its patience to the next level. The Catholic Church has now understood the likelihood of how AI can help many people understand the Catholic faith. Recently a website called ‘Magisterium AI’ has caught attention, making it the ChatGPT of the Catholic world. The interface is similar to OpenAI’s iteration and answers any question a person has regarding faith – ask the bot to pray the Rosary, the readings of the day and you could even ask it to help you on your examination of conscience, before going to the sacrament of Reconciliation.
The website even has a source library that contains over thousands of references to Church documents and resources. AI will definitely have a major impact, with more tools to strike a balance with technology and faith. AI is here to stay, and it will only grow from here.
Virtual reality tours to Holy Sites
The recent conflict in the Middle East has limited travel to the Holy Land and areas surrounding it. With technology like Virtual Reality headsets being more affordable and accessible, it allows some places in the world to be closer than they already have been. This technology is especially brilliant for people who cannot physically travel and want to experience being there.
Virtual reality is a great tool for educational purposes. It can help the younger generation have more interactive sections related to faith. AI can also give virtual tours of different churches. The possibilities are endless, and it is a new beginning for the Catholic Church to help people to come closer to God.
Augmented Reality Glasses
Meta recently announced their latest Ray-Ban sunglasses that help you translate, navigate, video calling, in built AI… You name it, it has it all. How does this relate to the Catholic Church? This technology can help people from all walks of life, regardless of language, attend Mass with the help of translation, video and audio. A student or a tourist coming into a new country who wants to understand the sermon spoken by the priest could use the AR glasses to translate the homily! Another great scenario: You are walking down the street and wanted to know the Mass timings, and by just looking at the church, all the information would be present Infront of your eyes, quite literally.
These glasses are a bit expensive, but it seems to be more affordable than before, and the technology being much more seamless. They look like normal sunglasses.
Spreading Faith on Social Media
A big trend that was seen last year was that younger priests started using social media to attract younger Catholics and there is no denying that this trend is about to grow even further this year. Content that has comedy, trending music and pop culture references will definitely make a big impact for younger people to get attracted to the Church and the Catholic faith. Another great way priests have been doing on social media is doing question and answers, this is an excellent way to engage with the younger audience and with the short, styled videos, it would be easier to grab attention of people. Maintaining this steady pace and style of content, it will slowly reach a larger group of people in 2025.
Conclusion
Technology is rapidly expanding and certain technological advancements we see right now, were predicted for 2030 and above. The Church can also educate the younger generation on how they can balance life with such tools in their hands and how they must be cautious of the dangers and problems it can cause if not used properly. Catholic figures like Blessed Carlo Acutis can be an amazing role model and will help younger people to start using technology to spread the faith and sharing the love Christ had for us, to the ends of the world! God Bless!
Rohith Kinattukara is a Catholic student from Griffith College Dublin studying MScin Procurement and Supply Chain Management who loves to write and breathes tech.