Magisterium AI, a generative AI project designed to make the teachings and doctrine of the Catholic church more accessible, is now also available in the Maltese language.
Magisterium was launched by Canadian company Longbeard in 2023, founded by entrepreneur and former seminarian Matthew Harvey Sanders. It presently accesses some 30,000 documents, including papal encyclicals, theological and philosophical works from doctors of the church and magisterial documents.
While it could only be initially used in English, dozens of languages have since been added, and Fr Jean Gové – a research affiliate at the AI & Humanity Lab at the University of Hong Kong who is also the Archdiocese of Malta’s diocesan coordinator for AI-related activity – suggested adding Maltese to the list.
Speaking to Newsbook Malta, Fr Gové stressed that a constant effort was involved to ensure that the answers provided by Magisterium are theologically correct, including a thorough analysis of instances where an answer is inaccurate.
He also acknowledged that the Maltese used by the app needs to be improved – work on this is also taking place. However, Fr Gové stressed that he felt it was important to ensure that Maltese is not cast aside, by ensuring it can be used as much as possible.
The app is designed to be accessible to anyone interested in the Catholic faith, from priests and theologians to individuals simply curious about Catholic teachings.
On social media, Fr Gové welcomed the app as a “useful tool for theological research and religious learning,” and as a “clear example of how the Church seeks to remain innovative in the use of new technologies, whilst continuing the tradition of preserving the Maltese language.”
He thanked Sanders and the Magisterium AI team for their work to refine it.
The Maltese-language version of Magisterium can be accessed here.
Source: Newsbook.com.mt