The Pope: AI Is ‘Neither Objective Nor Neutral’

Click to watch the trailer of "Who We Were"

PUGLIA, ITALY - Pope Francis addressed the G7 leaders’ summit being the first Pope to ever address the forum, which brings together the leaders of the US, UK, Italy, France, Canada, Germany, and Japan. 

The Pope began his speech by saying that the birth of AI represents “a true cognitive-industrial revolution” which will lead to “complex epochal transformations”.

He acknowledged AI's fascinating potential to democratize knowledge, accelerate scientific research, and reduce arduous labour. However, he warned it could also exacerbate injustices and inequalities between nations and social classes, leading to a "culture of discardment." He emphasised that life-or-death decisions must remain under meaningful human control. No machine should have the authority to determine the fate of human beings. He cautioned against ceding human decision-making ability to AI, which would rob humanity of hope.

The Pope's groundbreaking address highlighted both the promises and perils of AI development, underscoring the need for robust governance frameworks guided by human ethics and values to harness this transformative technology responsibly. Human beings, however, “not only choose but in their hearts are capable of deciding.” 

In his speech at the Future Talent Summit in Stockholm on June 18, 2024, Yuval Noah Harari explored artificial intelligence's profound implications to the future of work and human creativity. As Yuval Noah Harari highlights, AI is becoming increasingly "alien" - diverging from human intelligence to develop in fundamentally different and difficult-to-comprehend ways at breakneck speeds. The narrow AI systems of today may soon give way to advanced "alien" intelligence as unimaginable to us as a T-Rex is to an amoeba. This alien trajectory of AI development has immense implications for the future of work, human rights, and our core values and decision-making frameworks. 

Many existing jobs will likely disappear by 2050 as new roles emerge only to be rapidly disrupted, forcing individuals to continuously reinvent themselves through lifelong learning, unlearning, and nurturing mental flexibility. Ensuring this “alien intelligence” remains aligned with human ethics and rights will require robust governance grounded in human decision-making over life-or-death matters, as Pope Francis also advocated in his G7 speech. We are reminded of the need to proactively develop AI governance anchored in human rights principles - fostering accountability, transparency, and human control over AI, to harness their potential while mitigating existential risks to our species.

At the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also highlighted the urgent need for international regulation of AI to tackle the growing threat of fake news and misinformation on social media. Baerbock underscored how AI can be a double-edged sword, capable of amplifying voices but also enabling sophisticated disinformation campaigns that undermine democratic institutions and public trust. Emphasising the critical role of journalism in safeguarding democracy, she called for global cooperation to ensure AI is used ethically and responsibly. By regulating AI, we can protect freedom of expression, support independent journalism, and strengthen democratic resilience in the digital age. Baerbock's speech was a clarion call for proactive measures to address the evolving challenges posed by AI and to preserve the integrity of democratic societies.

As the trailer of the week, we present the 2022 Cinema For Peace Green Film of The Year Nominee “Who We Were”. The cinematic essay inspired by Roger Willemsen's book, tells the story of a group of charismatic free thinkers including an astronaut, a deep sea researcher, a Buddhist monk, an economist and a philosopher. We may think that we are simply not capable of understanding the increasingly complex problems of our planet, but for these scientists, that's not enough. Whether it's on the top of the world, in the depths of the ocean, inside the human brain, at the G-20 summit, or in the heart of the International Space Station ISS, they are searching for practical ways to save our world. Considering their drive, we have to ask ourselves if, we as citizens of the planet, are finally ready to take on responsibility - if only for the sake of those who will come after us and ask: "WHO WE WERE"?