Pope Francis has called for a global ban on AI weapons

The threat of artificial intelligence was again a topic on Friday when Pope Francis addressed the annual Group of 7 summit in Puglia, Italy.

During his speech, Francis called on world governments to prevent the use of AI in warfare and develop an ethical framework for the technology, stressing the need for cooperation to guide its development and use.

The Pope said that in view of the dangers associated with armed conflict, it is important to reconsider the production and use of weapons known as ‘lethal autonomous weapons' and finally prohibit their use. “This begins with an effective and concrete commitment to introduce ever greater and more accurate human control.

“No machine should choose to take human life,” he said.

After chatGPT exploded in 2022 and AI began to expand into the mainstream, the leader of the Catholic Church used the platform frequently.

Himself the focus of several viral AI-generated images and videos—including one showing him wearing a puffy white Balechiga jacket—Pope Francis acknowledged the growing power of AI in politics, medicine and education.

Pope Francis has called AI a “true cognitive-industrial revolution” and warned that the technology will create greater inequality between advanced and developing countries or between the ruling and oppressed social classes.

Technology is not infallible, the Pontiff said.

“It is a frequent and serious mistake to forget that artificial intelligence is not human and cannot provide general principles,” Francis said. “This fallacy stems from the deep human desire for stable friendships or consciousness—that is, from the assumption that observations made by computational methods contain unquestionable certainty and unquestionable universality. “

The Pope also addressed what he called the “techno-human condition” and humanity's relationship with technology throughout history.

“Human beings have always maintained their relationship with the environment through the tools they gradually produce,” he said. “It is impossible to separate the history of men and women and civilization from the history of these tools.”

The Pope pointed out that technology can be used to protect and take life and said that in the future artificial intelligence will reach the singularity.

“This is very true because in the near future, artificial intelligence programs will be able to communicate directly with each other to improve their performance,” he said.

The singularity refers to the time when computers and artificial intelligence have gone beyond human control.

“And if in the past men and women who made simple tools saw their lives shaped by them – knives not only helped them survive the cold, but also allowed them to develop the art of war – now man has made complex tools. Their lives are shaped more by them,” the Pope said.

Pope Francis has been among the most vocal voices in the world, pushing for a more cautious approach to AI. Last summer, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said such warnings should be taken seriously.

“With the new artificial intelligence, generative AI, the alarm bells are deafening, and louder than the developers who designed it,” Guterres said in a press release.

While Francis expressed concern about generative AI, he also emphasized its creative potential for humans.

Francis said, “The Holy Scriptures testify that God has given his Spirit to men so that they may have wisdom, understanding and knowledge in every craft. “Thus, science and technology are wonderful products of human creative potential. Indeed, artificial intelligence arises from the use of this God-given creative ability.”