The Pope is getting on the AI bandwagon
The Vatican has teamed up with Microsoft and IBM to promote the ethical development of artificial intelligence (AI) while also calling for the regulation of facial recognition and other intrusive technologies.
The tech giants signed the Vatican’s “Rome Call for AI Ethics” pledge which asserts that technology should respect privacy, work reliably and do so without bias. It also says that AI technology should consider “the needs of all human beings” and operate transparently.
The document reflects growing concerns among businesses and institutions that restrictions need to be put in place as the use cases for AI continue to evolve. For example, law enforcement agencies have used facial recognition systems to investigate crimes while Fortune 500 companies have turned to AI to vet job applicants.
Both of these cases illustrate high-stakes tasks where deploying an AI system with inaccurate or biased software could harm people instead of helping them.
AI ethics
Pope Francis also warned about the dangers of AI being used to extract data, often without the knowledge of individuals, for commercial and political ends, saying:
“This asymmetry, by which a select few know everything about us while we know nothing about them, dulls critical thought and the conscious exercise of freedom. Inequalities expand enormously; knowledge and wealth accumulate in a few hands with grave risks for democratic societies.”
While IBM and Microsoft have both signed the Vatican’s document, it is still unclear as to whether other tech companies will get on board. At the same time, we also don’t know how signatories will implement the principles laid out in the Vatican’s pledge.
In addition to the new document, Vatican officials also said that they could potentially provide material for a possible papal document on AI.
Via Reuters
The Vatican has teamed up with Microsoft and IBM to promote the ethical development of artificial intelligence (AI) while also calling for the regulation of facial recognition and other intrusive technologies. The tech giants signed the Vatican’s “Rome Call for AI Ethics” pledge which asserts that technology should respect privacy,…
Recent Posts
- Netflix to add more live content, including two NFL games on Christmas Day 2024
- Google I/O 2024: all the news from the developer conference
- Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, May 16 (game #843)
- 11 Best All-Clad Cookware Deals Right Now (Spring 2024)
- Samsung’s customizable Music Frame speaker is receiving its first discount
Archives
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011