A handwritten correction on a page, a voice that trembles while speaking, or a mistake openly acknowledged may be among the strongest proofs of humanity, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio ‘Ambo’ David said as he urged educators to resist machine-like standards of perfection in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking before the graduating class and faculty of De La Salle Araneta University (DLSAU) at the Philippine International Convention Center on September 19, David said schools must focus not only on producing competent graduates but also on forming people capable of growth, compassion, and moral courage.
The Kalookan bishop delivered the message as DLSAU conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, recognizing his contributions to biblical scholarship, pastoral leadership, social justice, and the promotion of human dignity.
David acknowledged that artificial intelligence has become one of the most transformative developments confronting modern education. AI systems can now summarize texts, organize research, generate polished prose, and solve complex problems in seconds, he noted.
Yet even as technological capabilities advance, he said machines remain incapable of moral discernment, genuine empathy, and the human capacity for conscience.
‘Even some of the people developing the most advanced AI systems are warning us that these technologies are progressing faster than our institutions can adequately evaluate, regulate, and supervise them,’ he said.
‘Technological power can advance much faster than human wisdom,’ he added.
The greater challenge, according to David, is not the prospect of machines becoming more human but the possibility of people trying to become more like machines.
‘The greater danger may be that human beings will try to become too much like machines, obsessed with optimization, efficiency, productivity, performance, and perfection,’ he said.
Rather than pursuing flawless performance, David encouraged educators and students to embrace vulnerability and imperfection as essential features of authentic humanity.
‘What reveals our humanity are often our imperfections,’ he said, pointing to hesitations, handwritten corrections, cracked voices, and mistakes honestly acknowledged as signs of a person willing to learn and grow.
He pointed out that while machines can process vast amounts of information and provide answers with remarkable speed, education has a deeper purpose.
‘Let artificial intelligence become better at being artificial, and let education help human beings become better at being human,’ David said.
True education, he added, forms the conscience, cultivates critical thinking, and teaches people how to build meaningful relationships.
A machine may analyze data and recognize patterns, but it cannot look at a struggling student with genuine concern and offer encouragement.
Drawing from the Lasallian mission of faith and service, David challenged graduates to use their education not merely as a pathway to personal success but as a means of uplifting others.
He also offered a broader interpretation of the honorary degree bestowed on him, saying honoris causa should inspire people to make their education, influence, and privilege a ’cause for the dignity of others.’ing his address with a challenge to the graduates, David urged them to become the kind of people no technology can replace.
‘Form human beings whom artificial intelligence can never replace,’ he said.
‘People capable of compassion, of moral courage, of solidarity and wonder, of loving, acknowledging a mistake, asking for forgiveness, beginning again, and sacrificing themselves for something greater than themselves,’ he pointed out.