Pope Francis thanked the participants of the international conference on “Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Technocratic Paradigm”, organized by the Vatican's Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, and reaffirmed that artificial intelligence must be used exclusively for the benefit of humanity.
Deborah Castellano Lubov
Just over a week after Pope Francis spoke about artificial intelligence at the G7 meeting in Bari, Italy, the pontiff reaffirmed that this powerful technological advancement must be used ethically and for the benefit of humanity, and that its inherent risks must be mitigated.
The Pope's latest comments on AI came at a Vatican press conference on Saturday morning. The anniversary of the Pope's accession to the throne.
Pope Francis meets with participants of international conference organized by Vatican Foundation
It needs to remain a tool in the hands of humans
In his speech, the Pope thanked his predecessors for their efforts in exploring ways in which AI can promote human dignity and benefit those less fortunate.
“I am grateful that Centesimus Annus has devoted ample space to this topic, engaging scholars and experts from different countries and disciplines to analyze the opportunities and risks associated with the development and use of AI,” he said.
The Pope similarly warned against AI acting autonomously, stressing that AI “is and must remain a tool in the hands of man.”
The Pope also warned against artificial intelligence creating a “throwaway culture”, exacerbating inequalities and making decisions that go beyond its powers.
AI aims to promote human dignity
Encouraging continued consideration of the true purpose of AI, he asked: “Does AI help meet human needs and improve people's well-being and overall development?” or, rather, “does it serve to further consolidate and increase the already powerful power of a few tech giants, despite the dangers to humanity?”
This is a fundamental question, he said.
As the future of humanity lies at the vanguard of technological innovation, he said, “we must not miss the opportunity to think and act in new ways with our heads, hearts and hands” to “steer innovation towards a configuration that centres on the primacy of human dignity.”
He stressed that this was not up for debate.
Encouragement and provocation
The Pope encouraged Centesimus Annus to “boldly continue” its work in this regard, and particularly praised the launch of a second collaborative research project between the Foundation and the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU), insisting that “you keep me informed of this.”
Pope Francis concluded with what he called a “provocation.”
“Are we going to continue calling something 'intelligence' when it's not intelligence?” he said. We need to think about this, he said, urging us to ask ourselves, “Isn't the misuse of this very important and very human word already a surrender to technocratic power?”
Participants at an international conference on AI organized by Pope Francis and the Vatican Foundation Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice
