Fr Fernando Ponce León SJ

Fr Fernando Ponce León SJ is currently working as an Assistant to the Secretary for Higher Education of the Society of Jesus (Rome). His presentation will be on The Digital Frontier: Jesuit Higher Education and the Apostolic Challenges of Artificial Intelligence.

Paper Abstract

This paper seeks to identify the diverse ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) challenges the fundamental mission of Jesuit universities and outlines the imperative for an active institutional response. The analysis begins by presenting three distinct frameworks for understanding the role of AI in society, arguing that the third perspective presents the most significant and problematic challenges.

Furthermore, the paper details four specific reasons why Jesuit universities are called to address this technological shift. The paper concludes by asserting that artificial intelligence represents a new "apostolic frontier" for Jesuit higher education, requiring a proactive commitment to the global common good, social transformation and humanism.