A Reflection

A total of 43 Jesuit scholastics from 15 countries gathered at the Scholastics and Brothers Circle (SBC) Meeting on December 22-30, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The theme discussed was “Youth in Relation to the Burgeoning of AI,” which described reflections on the rapid development of artificial intelligence. The meeting opened with an introduction by the Jesuit Region of Singapore-Malaysia, the host, and a presentation on youth ministry by Fr. Francis Lim, S.J. and Fr. Alvin Ng, S.J. The multinational atmosphere was evident in the use of English and the involvement of Malaysian Catholic youth.

Moving on to the main theme, William Tjhi from AI Singapore introduced the world of AI by explaining how it works, from its history beginning in 1956 to the shift from machine learning to deep learning. He discussed the films AlphaGo and The Imitation Game to show AI as a technological achievement and narrative phenomenon.

William highlighted the issue of bias in global AI development. The dominance of the West and China has led to the underrepresentation of Southeast Asia, which is a matter of fairness in representation. The involvement of cultural experts and local contexts is essential for inclusion.

He also discussed the limitations of AI, including hallucinations and the inability to predict the future. Despite the development of AI, he emphasized that AI cannot replace the presence of humans with all their complexity.

The reflection continued with an ethical and spiritual perspective from Benedict Chang, a lay theologian from Singapore. He stated that AI is an amoral but influential tool. AI makes many things easier, but it also risks reducing values such as a slow pace of life and deep relationships. Benedict also highlighted the spiritual concerns of young people in an algorithm-controlled world, where they are often seen as objects of consumption. He emphasized that faith does not grow solely from visual stimuli but requires time and focused attention.

In the AI Unboxed session, Darryl Ma from CelcomDigi discussed the limitations of generative AI, especially in language and meaning. AI often cannot capture word emphasis and personal relationships in communication. Therefore, context is very important. Darryl introduced the TCREI (Task, Context, References, Evaluate, Iterate) framework to create more conscious and critical prompts with AI. He also distinguished intelligence from wisdom, pointing out that AI lacks empathy. The “What the AI Can’t Do” program encouraged participants to share food with the homeless, emphasizing empathy and personal presence.

The closing reflection, led by P. Johnny Go, S.J., encouraged us to become pragmatic AI users, open to learning and using AI, while remaining critical of its impact. He emphasized that the learning process is a form of self-development, not just a quick way to achieve results. During the SBC Meeting 2025, participants realized that the existence of AI makes human life more complex. Therefore, we need to return to human values and build genuine interpersonal relationships. This meeting did not provide a definitive answer about AI, but it encouraged us to learn to use it for the common good and to maintain human relationships.

Contributor: Sch. Laurensius Herdian Pambudi, S.J.