On the occasion of the 58th World Communications Day on the theme of Artificial Intelligence and Wisdom of the Heart: Towards a Fully Human Communication, the Daughters of St. Paul awarded their Paulines Communication and Culture ODV Prize 2024 to Father Paolo Benanti, a member of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, president of the Commission on Artificial Intelligence for Information of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in Italy. He is also a member of the UN Committee on Artificial Intelligence, and advisor to Pope Francis.
The award was presented in Rome on Friday, 10 May 2024, at LUMSA University in Rome, by Sr. Bruna Fregni, general councilor of the Daughters of St. Paul in the sphere of the apostolate and communications, during a Convention promoted and organized together with different groups at work in the world of communications: the Office for Social Communications of the Diocese of Rome, the Order of Journalists for the Lazio region, UCSI Lazio, Paulines Communication and Culture ODV, the Association of Italian Webmaster Catholics (WeCa), FISC Lazio, and LUMSA University, under the patronage of the Communications Week Event organized annually by the FSPs and SSPs.
In acknowledgment of Fr. Benanti’s contribution to the study of the ethics of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and robotics, the prize was awarded as follows: “To Father Paolo Benanti, in recognition of his commitment to addressing the ethical and moral challenges raised by the new technologies through a critical reflection on the influence of these innovations on society and culture.”
The Paulines Communication and Culture Award is bestowed annually on media workers, filmmakers, journalists, writers, artists, priests or associations that stand out for having given the best concrete expression, through their work or activity, to the Pope’s message for the World Day of Social Communications.