Today, Pope Francis is praying about the “profound changes” in society due to digital technologies, and expressed his hope that the “natural dignity” of humanity will be considered before it is used – re-identifying artificial intelligence.
The Vatican published the Pope's homily for the World Day of Peace on January 1, 2024, which in part called for the ethical development of AI to serve humanity, reduce harm, and promote peace and justice. In the fall, Pope Francis discussed AI in his speech for the United Nations International Day of Peace in September.
The pontiff's plea comes at a time when AI has permeated every facet of modern life across industries, and other world leaders and policymakers are grappling with how to manage the technology.
“The progress in information technology and the development of digital technologies have begun to make profound changes in international society and various dynamics in recent decades,” said Pope Francis. “The new digital tools are even changing communication, public administration, education, consumption, personal interaction and countless other aspects of our daily lives.”
“We must be aware of the rapid changes that are happening now and guide them by respecting institutions and laws that protect basic human rights and promote human development,” he added. “Artificial intelligence should serve our best human potential and our highest aspirations, not compete with them.”
Cardinal Michael Cherney, member of the Vatican Office of Development, explained the issue in a press conference.
“Artificial intelligence may represent the biggest gamble of the future,” Cherney said, according to the Associated Press. “If it's bad, humanity is to blame.”
Francis and other world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, have been the subject of several AI-generated deep fakes.
The proliferation of AI-generated deep fakes has prompted Midjourney, the popular image-generator used to create a viral deep fake of the Pope – in a puffy white puffer jacket and silver cross – to cancel its free rating after the image surfaced earlier this year. .
“The inherent dignity of each person and the fraternity that binds us as members of the human family must serve as an indisputable criterion for the development and evaluation of new technologies before they are put to work. Francis has contributed to respect justice and peace.
The Pope acknowledged the responsible use of the benefits of AI at the international level – including reaching multilateral agreements and coordinating their implementation and enforcement.
“In this regard, I urge the international community to work together to adopt a binding international agreement to regulate the development and use of artificial intelligence,” Francis said. “The goal of regulation should not only be to prevent harmful practices, but to encourage better practices by encouraging new and creative approaches and encouraging individual or group initiative.”
In July, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that AI-generated disinformation could be used to spread hatred and misinformation in conflict zones around the world.
“Scientists and experts are calling on the world to take action, saying AI is a threat of nuclear war,” Guterres said in a press release.
In September, the Biden administration signed on more AI developers, including NVIDIA, IBM and Adobe, as part of its pledge to develop AI responsibly. OpenAI, Google and Microsoft signed the governance agreement earlier this year.
In November, world leaders from 29 countries and the European Union met at Bletchley Park in England to discuss how to manage artificial intelligence. The AI Security Summit has concluded, with participants signing a declaration to work together to build safer, more human-centric AI and bring more transparency to emerging technology.
“It is my prayer at the beginning of the new year that the rapid development of forms of artificial intelligence will not exacerbate the issues of inequality and injustice in our world today, but will end wars and conflicts and bring relief to many. The Pope summarized the types of suffering that afflict our human family.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
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