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The Vatican will offer live translation of the Mass in 60 languages powered by artificial intelligence (AI) as the Catholic Church embraces the technology and heeds warnings.
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The service, which will allow worshipers to follow the service on their smartphones, is scheduled to begin next week during a major celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica commemorating the 400th anniversary of the church’s consecration from 1626 to 2026.
“For centuries, St. Peter’s Basilica has welcomed the faithful of all nations and languages,” Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archbishop of St. Peter’s Basilica and deputy governor of Vatican City, said in a statement.
“By making available tools that help many people understand the language of the liturgy, we hope to contribute to the universal by the very mission that defines the heart of the Catholic Church,” he added.
The AI translation works through a QR code that participants can scan at the entrance to the Vatican. Then, real-time speech and text translation is possible through your web browser without having to download an app.
The translation system uses Lara, an AI developed by language solutions company Translated in collaboration with Carnegie AI LLC and Professor Alexander Weibel, a pioneer in AI-powered speech translation.
When asked if AI translation tools can hallucinate or make mistakes, Translated’s CEO and co-founder said that while mistakes are inherent in all translations, “Lara is a huge step forward in terms of reducing mistakes.”
“Lara is designed for accuracy rather than an eagerness to please. This significantly limits hallucinations. Lara also uses more context than previous technologies, so it can clarify meaning more effectively,” he told EuronewsNext.
Meanwhile, Weibel, a scientific advisor on the project, said the technology is an important demonstration of AI’s potential to advance human understanding.
“Today, we see the potential to break down language barriers.
“It happened in real time and in one of the most meaningful settings imaginable,” he said.
Although the Vatican appears to have embraced AI, Pope Leo XIV said in May that AI poses challenges for protecting “human dignity, justice and labor.”
