Conference in Greece discusses Orthodox anthropology and challenges of AI

Speech by Metropolitan Makarios at the conference in Thessaloniki. Photo: Orthodoxia News Agency

On August 24, 2025, the 9th Pan-Hellenic Conference of Youth Leaders of the Church of Greece opened at the Thessaly Conference Center, focusing on the Orthodox understanding of the human person and the challenges posed by the rise of artificial intelligence. This was reported by the Orthodoxia News Agency.

Both clergy and laity from 61 metropolises of the Church of Greece are taking part in the forum. The opening was attended by hierarchs, including Metropolitans Ignatios, Makarios, and Chariton, as well as parliamentarians, officials, and representatives of the educational sphere.

Metropolitan Makarios, Chairman of the Synodal Youth Committee, stressed that true Orthodox anthropology is revealed through the living experience of the Church: “Man is the image of God, not a number or an object. Artificial intelligence may generate texts flawless in form, but they lack soul and heart.” He warned against the temptation of absolutizing technology, comparing it to a “new Tower of Babel” that could lead to spiritual catastrophe.

Professor Petros Panagiotopoulos of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki delivered a lecture on “Orthodox Anthropology in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” He pointed out that digital technologies are transforming society, but the Church’s mission is to help man preserve his true identity: “Man was created in the image and likeness of God. Machines, no matter how ‘intelligent,’ will never receive the breath of the Spirit given to man at creation.”

Metropolitan Ignatios, the host of the conference, emphasized that modern technologies should not be feared but used in the service of the Church and the upbringing of youth: “Young people are the future of our Church and our homeland. Even the most advanced technologies must serve catechesis and spiritual education, not replace human communion.”

The Orthodox Church has repeatedly spoken about the challenges of digitalization and artificial intelligence, underlining that technology must remain only a tool in human hands. Hierarchs remind us: only spiritual life and personal communion can preserve true human identity in the face of rapid technological progress.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that scientists created a chip capable of reading human thoughts.

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