In an interesting turn of events, Pope Francis, in collaboration with Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, released a manual discussing the ethical aspects of AI. Together, they have established the Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC), which serves as a Vatican-led think tank focusing on AI ethics to facilitate meaningful discussions about the impact of technology on humanity.

This comes three months after the Pope got a fancy makeover in a Balenciaga puffer jacket, thanks to AI image generator Midjourney. 

Around the same, time major tech players, including Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and Evan Sharp, signed an open letter urging AI developers to temporarily halt the training of advanced AI experiments, expressing concerns about potential risks that could lead to a loss of control over the civilisation. It emphasised that the current rapid development of AI, exemplified by the likes of ChatGPT, Dalle-2, Midjourney, and voice-cloning softwares, may be irresponsible and fail to consider the consequences for society. The letter called for a pause in testing technologies more powerful than ChatGPT-4 for six months. Furthermore, it urged developers to establish robust safety protocols that involve rigorous audits and oversight from independent experts.

Pope’s Call to Silicon Valley Moral Guidance is Not New

The handbook titled ‘Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap’ aims to help technology companies navigate the ethical considerations of AI. ITEC claims to have discussed with several AI and ML tech leaders in Silicon Valley before making the handbook. It covers various topics, with a focus on AI development, and emphasises the importance of upholding high ethical standards in the technology industry.

When the Pope’s AI-generated fake images took social media by storm, he said he believes in the positive impact that AI and ML can create, however, “At the same time, I am certain that this potential will be realised only if there is a constant and consistent commitment on the part of those developing these technologies to act ethically and responsibly.”

Even in 2019, Pope Francis spoke about AI misuse at “The Common Good in the Digital Age” conference in the Vatican. “If mankind’s so-called technological progress were to become an enemy of the common good, this would lead to an unfortunate regression to a form of barbarism dictated by the law of the strongest,” he told Reuters during the event. 

Soon, along with support from Microsoft and IBM, the Vatican City released a set of principles called the ‘Rome Call for AI Ethics‘, which promotes the responsible and ethical use of AI. 

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