The Association of Catholic Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (ACMPN) has called on doctors and other medical professionals to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) with caution.

ACMPN made the call in a communiqué issued after its 20th annual scientific conference and general meeting.

The hybrid conference had no fewer than 150 participants from Abakaliki, Abuja, Benin, Ibadan, Jos, Lagos, Lokoja, Nnewi, Yola, Oshogbo, Nnewi and Ondo, Makurdi Archdiocese/Dioceses, Diaspora members with Ibadan as host.

The theme of the conference was “The Catholic Physician in the Era of Artificial Intelligence’ with sub-themes “Ethical Consideration in Artificial Intelligence” and “Celebrating 21 years of ACMPN”

The communiqué which was made available to journalists in Awka on Wednesday was signed by Prof. Hadiza Agbo Dr James Ojile, the National President and National Secretary of ACMPN respectively.

It warned that medical professionals should not outsource their intelligence and humanity to artificial intelligence.

The association said physicians must be responsible for the choices they made and that could be achieved by upholding ethical and moral guides.

ACMPN said bioethics of the Catholic Church must guide the use of artificial intelligence by preserving dignity of life, privacy and addressing decisions on end of life care in line with Pope Leo XIV’s ‘Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas’.

The association said it was the parent body and mentor to its Federal of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) for only students studying Medicine and Dentistry.

“AI is an innovation that should be used to support medical practice but the doctor should ensure moral wisdom, charity and retention of our humanity.

“Doctors should not outsource their intelligence and humanity to artificial intelligence

“Medicine is a vocation of healing rooted in Christ and guided by the sanctity of life made in the image of God, thus physicians must have compassion in patient-doctor relationships which no algorithm can replace,” it said.

ACMPN reiterated that Naprotechnology was still the best and natural method of planning for the family and this should be studied by doctors and adopted.