By Ludwig Ring-Eifel (Kathpress)
Amidst the aftermath of Benedict’s sudden death and ensuing debates, a seminal event at the Vatican has almost been hushed up. At the invitation of Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia and the Pontifical Academy for Life, delegations from various global companies and religious communities came to Rome to debate the ethical implications and limits of artificial intelligence (AI). In the end, they signed a joint document titled “AI Ethics” in English.
It is the second policy document in a format known as the “Appeal to Rome” that first surfaced at the Vatican in February 2020, shortly before the outbreak of the corona pandemic. It includes players as diverse as Microsoft’s Brad Smith, IBM’s Dario Gil, and FAO chief economist Maximo Torero Cullen. This time, delegations from Judaism and Islam were also present for the first time.
The common point of reference for the debates are the fundamental statements made by Pope Francis in the encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” (2020) on digitality. While the Pope has yet to explicitly address the topic of AI, he does assess the opportunities and dangers of digital communication and social media.
As an institutional foundation, Pope Francis launched the “RenAIssance Foundation” in April 2021 at Paglia’s suggestion. It has its own canonical status at the Pontifical Academy for Life, is considered a “non-profit organization” and has the right to raise funds for donations. The foundation aims to “promote anthropological and ethical reflection on new human technologies” and collaborate with international organizations, states, universities and companies. The focus is AI research and the search for ethics for new technologies.
This year’s meeting in Rome was attended by Rabbi Eliezer Simha Weisz of the Chief Rabbinate in Israel as Jewish Representative and Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah (UAE) for Islam. The main lecture was given by Paolo Benanti, Professor of “Ethics of Technologies” at the Gregoriana and Scientific Director of the “Foundation RenAIssance”. The Franciscan priest is considered one of the leading Catholic thinkers on the topic of AI in Rome and an adviser to the Pope on AI ethics issues.
In a speech to attendees, Francis was pleased that his key ideas from the encyclical Fratelli Tutti are now also inspiring the AI debate. Apparently there is a consensus that this technology should also serve the common good and concern for the common home of humanity.
“We all know how AI is increasingly present in all aspects of our lives, both personal and social. It affects the way we understand the world and ourselves,” said the Pope. He is therefore happy that representatives of other religions are also included in the quest for “algor ethics”, ie ethical reflection on the use of algorithms.
He asked the participants to be careful that the use of these digital tools does not occur to the detriment of the most vulnerable. “It is unacceptable that the decision on a person’s life and future is entrusted to an algorithm!”, emphasized Pope Francis. He hopes the “Rome Call” will help further develop a “digital anthropology” that includes ethics, education and law. He urged participants to continue working on the issues “with boldness and insight”. In so doing, they should involve all those who have the good of the human family at heart.
Source: Kathpress