Italy’s BARI (AP) — Pope Francis issued a challenge on Friday to the leaders of the world’s affluent democracies to prioritize human dignity above all else when creating and using artificial intelligence. He cautioned that this potent technology runs the danger of reducing human relationships to nothing more than algorithms.
Invited by host Italy to speak at a special session of their annual summit on the dangers and potential of artificial intelligence, Francis used his moral authority to the Group of Seven. By doing this, he made history as the first pope to visit the G7 and provide a moral perspective on a topic that is becoming more and more important to international summits, public policy, and corporate boards.
Francis emphasized that in order to ensure that AI stays human-centric and that people, not robots, are always in charge of deciding whether to deploy weapons or even less harmful instruments, governments must take the initiative.
“If we took away people’s ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives, by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines, we would condemn humanity to a future without hope,” he said. “Human dignity itself depends on us providing and defending a space for appropriate human control over the decisions made by artificial intelligence programs.”
His reservations were substantially mirrored in the final G7 statement.
In order to maintain AI “human-centered,” the leaders committed to better coordinating the governance and regulatory structures around it. Simultaneously, they recognized the possible consequences for the labor markets if robots replace human laborers and the legal system if algorithms are used to forecast recidivism.
“In keeping with our shared democratic values and respect for human rights, we will pursue an inclusive, human-centered, digital transformation that underpins economic growth and sustainable development, maximizes benefits, and manages risks,” the statement said.
Following the surge in generative AI sparked by OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, Francis’s attendance at the meeting placed him in line with a growing number of nations and international organizations calling for more regulations on AI.
This year, the Argentine pontiff called for an international convention to guarantee AI is researched and used responsibly during his yearly peace address. In it, he made the case that unfettered technological development is too dangerous if it lacks the human virtues of compassion, mercy, morality, and forgiveness.
While he did not specifically reiterate that request in his address on Friday, he did make it plain that lawmakers must take the lead on this issue. Additionally, he encouraged them to outlaw the employment of deadly autonomous weaponry, sometimes referred to as “killer robots.”
He said, “No machine should ever choose to take a human being’s life.”
The G7 leaders acknowledged the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on the military sphere and the necessity for “a framework for responsible development and use” in relation to the weapons problem. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni had invited Francis and announced his participation, aware of the possible influence of his star power and moral authority on the G7. They encouraged states to ensure that “military use of AI is responsible, complies with applicable international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and enhances international security.” When Francis came, the lively chatter in the room completely stopped, and everyone sat around the table were appropriately impressed.
According to John Kirton, a political scientist at the University of Toronto and the head of the G7 Research Group think tank, the pope is “a very special kind of a celebrity.”
Kirton remembered the 2005 summit at Gleneagles, Scotland, as the last one to have this kind of star power that resulted in action. There, global leaders made the decision to erase the $40 billion in debt that 18 of the world’s poorest nations owed the International Monetary Fund and the Global Bank.
Prior to that meeting, almost a million people attended the Live 8 event in London, which was organized in solidarity against famine and poverty in Africa and included Sting, The Who, and a reunited Pink Floyd.
According to Kirton, “Gleneagles really hit a home run and for some, it’s one of the most successful summits.”
In the Italian area of Puglia, no such public pressure was being applied to the G7 leaders, but Francis recognized he could use his own moral power to reiterate his calls for AI safety measures and draw attention to the dangers AI presents to society and peace if human ethics are neglected.
Speaking about technology, he said, is akin to discussing what it is to be human and, therefore, our unique position as creatures endowed with both freedom and accountability. “This calls for discussing ethics.”
The world has been astonished by generative AI technology’s ability to make replies that resemble those of a person, but it has also raised concerns about AI safety and prompted a disorganized array of international attempts to control it.
Some fear that mankind faces distant and catastrophic hazards due to the possibility of developing new bioweapons and spreading misinformation. Some worry about how technology will impact daily life, such as algorithmic bias leading to discrimination or AI systems taking employment away.
Francis brought up several issues in addition to these in his peace address. According to him, AI must prioritize preserving basic human rights, fostering peace, and protecting against false information, prejudice, and distortion.
Francis was perhaps preaching to the choir when it came to regulations because the G7 countries have led the charge in the discussion of AI control.
Japan initiated the Hiroshima AI initiative last year to create global guidelines and a code of conduct for AI developers. Japan is the country that currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month revealed a framework for international regulation of generative AI, or artificial intelligence systems that can produce new text, pictures, videos, and audio swiftly in response to prompts and directions. This is a further step toward those efforts.
With its comprehensive AI Act, which is slated to go into force over the next two years and may serve as a worldwide model, the European Union was among the first to take action. With limitations depending on the degree of danger they provide, the legislation targets any AI product or service provided in the 27 member countries of the union.
While some states, including California and Colorado, have been attempting to enact their own AI statutes, with varying degrees of success, President Joe Biden of the United States issued an executive order on AI protections and called for legislation to reinforce it.
Britain’s conference last autumn launched a worldwide conversation on taming AI’s most severe risks. In a Seoul follow-up meeting, businesses promised to advance the technology carefully. Early in the next year, France would play host to another match in the series. With its first resolution on AI, the UN has also spoken its opinion.
