Pope Francis leaves evening prayers in the Vatican gardens on June 7. The pope will meet with G7 leaders this week to discuss the ethics of artificial intelligence.
Alessandra Tarantino/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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Alessandra Tarantino/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
BARI, Italy — When leaders of the world’s major industrialized nations gather in Italy this week, they will be joined by a single guest to talk about the risks posed by artificial intelligence: Pope Francis.
This is the first G7 summit to which a pope is invited. But this is not the first time Pope Francis has spoken out about this emerging technology and how he believes it should be developed for the good of humanity.
“Right now we have many opportunities to use artificial intelligence for bad purposes, but how can we ultimately direct it towards something that is actually beneficial to human beings, something that brings us together ?” said Brian Green, director of technology ethics at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.
Why is the Pope talking about artificial intelligence?
Pope Francis himself has been the target of AI disinformation. Last year, a photo of the pope wearing a large white puffer jacket went viral. The image was generated by AI and sparked conversations about deepfakes and the spread of misinformation through AI technology.
AI-generated image: A fake image of Pope Francis wearing a white puffer jacket.
Pablo Xavier; annotation by NPR
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Pablo Xavier; annotation by NPR
In his annual message on new year’s day this year, the pope focused on how AI can be used for peace.
His work on the issue dates back several years, when the Vatican and technology companies like Microsoft began working together to create a set of principles known as the Rome Call for AI Ethicspublished in 2020. Companies and governments that responded to the call agreed to voluntary commitments aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the development of AI.
“The Italian government has sought to elevate the message behind the Rome Call for AI Ethics and attract new signatories,” said Gregory Allen, director of the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at Center for Strategic and International Studies.
What the G7 has said so far about AI
G7 leaders have been discussing artificial intelligence and AI ethics for years. Last year, when Japan hosted the summit, the G7 countries agreed on some international principles on AI called the Hiroshima Framework.
Neither this framework nor the Rome Call are legally binding documents, but they pave the way for accountability and future laws, Allen said.
“Much of this (Hiroshima) language is now reflected in the text of the European Union AI Law, which is a mandatory legislative text. And in the United States, similar ideas are showing up in things like the White House Voluntary Commitments on AI that the White House has negotiated with several companies,” he said.
Allen said AI had been discussed at G7 ministerial meetings in recent months, including how AI would impact work and economies. And he expects G7 leaders to focus on AI’s impact on disinformation, particularly because there will be many elections around the world this year.
Pope broadens AI debate
Pope Francis is expected to focus on ethics in his remarks to the G7. Santa Clara University’s Green, who participated in a report on AI released by the Vatican in 2023, said he thought the pope might mention ways AI could be used to help the poor and protect the environment.
The pope will bring a different perspective on technology than a political leader, Green said.
“As a religious leader, the only thing he really has is his moral authority, which means he can’t really have a big political agenda to achieve something like that. He can’t have a big economic agenda, but it can come with a moral agenda,” Green said.
“There is a chance here for ethics and politics to work together to create a better world, not least through this very powerful technology that will transform the future.”
