In a message to an international conference in Rome, Cardinal Pietro Parolin warned that humanity risks “its own destruction” if artificial life forms fail to respect human dignity, and called for interdisciplinary and multicultural cooperation to channel technology into true human progress.
From Vatican News
The Cardinal Secretary of State sent a message to the participants of the international conference. “Dignity of children and adolescents in the age of artificial intelligence” It’s happening in Rome.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin warned that humanity could bring about “its own extinction” by creating artificial life forms that do not respect human dignity, and called for a concerted “interdisciplinary and multicultural approach.”
“Are we on the threshold of a new era, or will humanity sooner or later bring about its own destruction through the introduction of artificial life forms? Will we be reduced to mere simulations that no longer recognize human dignity?” He urged attendees to consider the ethical, legal, social and anthropological implications of AI.
This international conference, attended by leading figures from academia, science and technology, is organized by the Italian Children’s Helpline. Telefono Azzurro,and Foundation Child for Studies and Research on Childhood and Youth.
existential and moral issues
In his message, the cardinal said the theme was particularly important because it touched on the protection and dignity of children, “one of the greatest challenges facing humanity now and in the future.”
He acknowledged that the “opportunities” brought by science and technology inevitably contribute to human freedom and responsibility. But these rapid advances, especially in artificial intelligence, are raising “existential and moral questions on a scale almost never seen before,” he said.
Towards human and spiritual progress
Cardinal Parolin therefore encouraged “the assessment of the opportunities and risks of the digital age for the benefit of humanity, the human community and the whole of creation.” Such insight “can also help draw appropriate conclusions for concrete actions, for example in areas such as politics, legislation, education, and the design of social support services,” he points out.
“All this can only be achieved through interdisciplinary and multicultural efforts if we are to appreciate the complexity of the problems and the diversity of human reality,” he added.
The cardinal concluded by recalling Pope Francis’ words at the ceremony. World Conference on Child Dignity in a Digital WorldIn a lecture given at the Pontifical Gregorian University in 2017, he said: “We have the necessary freedom to limit and direct technology. We can use it to support a different kind of progress: one that is healthier, more humane, more social, more integrated.”
