Artificial intelligence and family life: Human values in a changing world

ABU DHABI – Sport 4 Ever: Artificial intelligence and family life are increasingly intersecting as new technologies become part of everyday communication, raising questions about trust, responsibility and the role families play in preparing people to use technology wisely. Discussions at an international conference in Abu Dhabi examined this relationship and asked a broader question: as machines become capable of answering questions and offering advice, what remains uniquely important about family life?

For decades, advances in communications technology have introduced new voices and influences into homes. Artificial intelligence, however, represents a significant change in that pattern because technology can now respond directly to questions, provide information and, in some circumstances, offer guidance.

That development has prompted renewed discussion about the qualities that technology cannot create by itself. Among those highlighted during discussions in Abu Dhabi were trust, belonging, responsibility, service, compassion and the ability to develop wisdom rather than simply accumulate information.

Hatem El-Hady, a representative of the Bahá’í International Community’s Cairo Office, said artificial intelligence and new media can help people overcome distance but cannot independently establish the human relationships on which communities depend.

“Artificial intelligence and new media can bring distances closer, but they cannot create trust on their own,” El-Hady said.

He also distinguished between transmitting knowledge and developing wisdom. Technology can make information more accessible and increase opportunities for communication, but the development of qualities such as responsibility, belonging and a spirit of service requires human relationships and lived experience.

The issue formed part of a wider series of discussions at the Third International Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference in Abu Dhabi. Academics, researchers, representatives of faith communities, young people and other social actors examined subjects connected with family life, emerging technologies and social cohesion.

Members of the Office of Public Affairs of the Bahá’ís of the United Arab Emirates participated in the conference, including through contributions to and moderation of several panels.

Artificial intelligence and family life at the center of a wider debate

The discussions did not treat the family simply as a private environment. Instead, participants considered the family as one of the first places where people learn how to interact with others and develop attitudes that can later influence their participation in society.

Roeia Thabet of the Office of Public Affairs described the family as more than a social unit. She explained that it is an environment where qualities including love, justice, compassion, cooperation, equality and mutual respect can begin to develop.

This perspective places family relationships within a much broader social context.

People do not live exclusively within their immediate families. As they grow and become involved in schools, neighborhoods, workplaces and community activities, the values developed in their early relationships can influence how they approach other people.

The conference discussions therefore connected family life with the wider question of social cohesion. If technology is becoming increasingly influential in communication and decision-making, the qualities people bring to their use of technology become an important part of the discussion.

El-Hady pointed to the experience of Bahá’í communities in the Arab region as an example of how families can benefit from connections beyond the household.

According to his contribution, families can flourish when they remain connected with others through opportunities for conversation and service rather than becoming isolated from the wider community.

Such interaction can give practical meaning to values that might otherwise remain abstract. Cooperation, concern for others and responsibility are not developed solely by discussing them. They can also emerge through people working together and responding to the needs of those around them.

That approach becomes particularly relevant as artificial intelligence enters more areas of everyday life.

Why human relationships remain important

One of the central themes of the discussions was the distinction between what technology can provide and what people must develop through relationships.

Artificial intelligence can process information, respond to questions and support communication. But the speakers argued that these capabilities do not automatically produce trust, wisdom, belonging or a sense of responsibility toward other people.

Sama Tabrizi, a representative of the Bahá’ís of the UAE, emphasized the importance of maintaining the dignity of the individual as technological change continues.

“Whatever comes—whether from technology or otherwise—we need to hold on to preserving this human nobility,” she said.

Her statement reflected a broader principle discussed during the conference: technological progress does not remove the need for human development.

Instead, the emergence of increasingly capable technologies can make questions about human values more visible.

Families have traditionally played an important role in helping children and young people understand cooperation, fairness, respect and responsibility. The growing presence of artificial intelligence creates another context in which those qualities may influence how people interact with technology and with one another.

The discussion therefore focused less on technology as an isolated subject and more on the environment in which people learn to use it.

A technology may provide an answer, but the ability to consider whether that answer is wise, appropriate or beneficial involves human judgment.

Likewise, communication technology can connect people who are geographically distant, but connection alone does not necessarily create a sense of belonging.

The speakers’ observations suggest that the quality of relationships surrounding technology matters alongside the technology itself.

From the family to the wider community

The conference discussions also explored how qualities developed within families can extend into community life.

Consultation, cooperation, service and concern for others were identified as qualities that can grow through patterns of life in which people communicate, work together and gradually assume responsibility for shared needs.

This process begins within relationships but does not necessarily remain there.

As people become more aware of the circumstances of neighbors and other members of their communities, their concerns can extend beyond the immediate family.

That outward movement was described as an important aspect of community-building efforts associated with the Bahá’í communities in the region.

The family, in this understanding, is neither isolated nor entirely self-contained. It forms part of a wider network of human relationships.

This approach also changes the way the influence of technology can be considered.

If people enter the digital environment with habits of cooperation, respect and responsibility, those qualities can influence the way they communicate and make decisions online.

El-Hady described artificial intelligence and new media as “tools that reflect the values we instill in them.”

The observation places responsibility not only on technology developers or institutions but also on the social environments in which people learn how to use technological tools.

That does not mean that technology simply reproduces the character of its users. Rather, the discussion emphasized that technological tools operate within human societies and are used according to choices, priorities and relationships established by people.

The challenge of using technology wisely

The growing availability of artificial intelligence has created new opportunities for accessing information and communicating with others. At the same time, the discussions in Abu Dhabi highlighted the importance of developing the capacity to use those opportunities responsibly.

Knowledge and wisdom were presented as related but distinct qualities.

A person can have access to large amounts of information without necessarily knowing how to apply it constructively.

Similarly, faster communication does not automatically result in stronger relationships.

The speakers’ emphasis on family and community life therefore placed human development alongside technological development.

The qualities discussed at the conference—justice, compassion, equality, cooperation, consultation and responsibility—can influence how individuals respond to other people and to the tools available to them.

The family can provide an early environment for these qualities to take root. Community life can then provide opportunities to practice them in broader settings.

This process becomes particularly significant when people encounter technologies capable of producing information and recommendations almost instantly.

The ability to pause, consult others, consider consequences and recognize the needs of other people remains a human responsibility.

The conference discussions did not suggest that families should reject emerging technologies. Instead, they explored how families and communities can help shape the attitudes that accompany technological use.

That distinction is important because artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of ordinary life rather than remaining a technology confined to specialized settings.

Abu Dhabi discussions connect technology with social cohesion

The Third International Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference provided a setting for participants from different backgrounds to examine these questions together.

Academics, researchers, faith representatives, youth and other social actors contributed to conversations concerning family life, emerging technologies and social cohesion.

The participation of the Office of Public Affairs of the Bahá’ís of the United Arab Emirates included both panel contributions and moderation.

The discussions placed family life within the broader context of an increasingly diverse society.

The central issue was not simply how families respond to artificial intelligence, but how family relationships can contribute to the development of individuals who participate constructively in society.

This perspective also connects technology with questions of community service.

When families interact with neighbors and participate in activities aimed at addressing community needs, values such as cooperation and responsibility can become practical experiences rather than theoretical concepts.

Those experiences can shape how people approach other areas of life, including their use of new technologies.

The discussions therefore presented a relationship between three elements: family life, community life and technological change.

The family can nurture qualities. Community life can provide opportunities to express them. Technology can then become one of the tools through which people communicate and act.

Preserving human dignity in the age of new technology

The idea of human dignity emerged as another important theme.

Tabrizi’s comments placed the “nobility of the human being” at the center of the conversation about technological change.

The principle suggests that technological progress should not obscure the importance of human relationships and individual dignity.

Artificial intelligence can provide information rapidly, but the conference discussions emphasized that people remain responsible for determining how such tools are used.

That responsibility also extends to the social consequences of technological choices.

Families can contribute by creating environments where people learn to listen, cooperate, respect differences and consider the effects of their actions on others.

Communities can reinforce those qualities by creating opportunities for service and consultation.

In this sense, the rise of artificial intelligence does not necessarily reduce the importance of family and community relationships. The discussions in Abu Dhabi suggested that technological change may instead make those relationships more significant.

As machines become more capable of performing certain tasks associated with information and communication, distinctly human qualities such as empathy, responsibility, belonging and moral judgment remain central to social life.

Technology as a tool shaped by human values

The conference’s discussions ultimately returned to the relationship between technology and the people who use it.

Artificial intelligence can expand access to information and make communication easier. Yet the speakers emphasized that technology alone cannot cultivate the qualities required for a cohesive society.

Trust must be developed through relationships. Wisdom requires more than information. Belonging depends on meaningful connections. Responsibility grows through participation and service.

These ideas place the family at an important starting point.

The family can provide the first setting where individuals encounter cooperation, equality, compassion and mutual respect. Community life can then extend those experiences into relationships with people beyond the household.

The growing presence of artificial intelligence adds a new dimension to that process.

Rather than asking only what artificial intelligence can do, the discussions invite attention to the people using it, the values they bring to it and the communities in which those values develop.

The Third International Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference therefore connected technological change with a much older human question: how can people build relationships and societies based on trust, responsibility and concern for one another?

FAQ

What was the main topic of the Abu Dhabi discussions?

The discussions examined the relationship between family life, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and social cohesion.

Can artificial intelligence create trust?

According to Hatem El-Hady, artificial intelligence and new media can improve communication and reduce distance, but they cannot create trust by themselves.

Why was the family important in the discussions?

Roeia Thabet described the family as an environment where qualities such as love, justice, compassion, cooperation, equality and mutual respect can first develop.

What human quality did Sama Tabrizi emphasize?

Tabrizi emphasized the importance of preserving the nobility of the human being as technology continues to develop.

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