As religious leaders from around the world gather to discuss the “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence for Peace” in Hiroshima on July 9 and 10, Pope Francis sent a message, pointing out that the debate on peace and artificial intelligence in the city that still suffering from the effects of the atomic bomb that almost destroyed it in August 1945, “is of great symbolic importance”.

AI and Peace

Artificial intelligence and peace, the Pope points out, are two topics of utmost importance. The pontiff recalled his most recent appeal on this issue to G7 political leaders as they gathered in Puglia, Italy. During that meeting Pope Francis emphasized the importance of keeping decision-making in human hands rather than relying on machines, explaining that “the machine makes a technical choice among many possibilities based either on well-defined criteria or statistical inference. Human beings, however, not only choose, but in their hearts are capable of deciding.’

Real decisions

Francis notes that “true decisions require human wisdom and assessment, and overreliance on artificial intelligence could undermine human dignity.”

“This is exactly what we saw in Hiroshima and continue to see today, and among the current conflicts affecting our world – including the hatred of war – we hear more and more about this technology,” he adds.

It is vital, the Pope continues, “united as brothers and sisters, to remind the world that in light of the tragedy that is armed conflict, it is urgent to review the development and use of devices such as so-called “lethal autonomous weapons and ultimately to dictate their use”. Repeating his appeal, the focus of many of his appeals throughout his tenure, he reiterated emphatically: “No machine should ever choose to take a human life.”