Pope warns of the danger of an AI dictatorship

The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, weighed in on artificial intelligence in a letter written ahead of World Peace Day on January 1, 2024.

The Pontiff warned that the world community could fall into a spiral of “technological dictatorship” through the unethical use of AI. To avert this, he proposed the creation of an international treaty regulating the development and deployment of artificial intelligence.

“The development of new technologies must be grounded in the inherent dignity of every person, so that digital progress can contribute to the cause of peace,” the letter says.

If developers prioritize “profit or the pursuit of power,” AI will only “exacerbate inequality and conflicts.”

The Pope called the emergence of generated fake news a serious problem undermining trust in the media. He also fears that artificial intelligence could leave a large portion of the population without work.

Alongside this, the Pontiff recognised the advantages of technology in enabling more efficient production, and the modernization of processes for collecting, organizing and validating data.

Earlier, Arm Holdings, the leading chipmaker, warned of loss of control over AI.

Earlier, in May, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden held a meeting with leaders of Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic, where AI-related risks were discussed.

Later, CEO OpenAI Sam Altman testified before the U.S. Congress and urged the government to regulate the use and development of the technology.

The administration also published an executive order setting new safety and protection standards for artificial intelligence.