Pope Francis called on believers around the world to pray in November 2020 that robots and artificial intelligence will “always serve humanity.” The pontiff’s statement has been posted on YouTube, reports “The Verge”.
In his message, the head of the Roman Catholic Church mentioned AI was “at the heart of the epochal change we are experiencing” and that robotics had the ability to change the world for the higher.
But this might solely be the case if these forces are harnessed appropriately, he mentioned. “Indeed, if technological progress increases inequalities, it is not true progress. Future advances should be orientated towards respecting the dignity of the person.”
Earlier in 2020, the Vatican jointly with Microsoft and IBM published the Rome Call for the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. It outlines the principles that should guide technology developers: transparency, inclusiveness, responsibility, impartiality, reliability, and safety.
Regardless of one’s opinion on the Catholic Church, or even faith in general, it’s still pretty mind-blowing to hear the leader of one of the world’s major religions theorize on the consequences of artificial intelligence.
