The Vatican has unveiled the Rome Call for AI Ethics, which emphasizes the necessity for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to uphold privacy, operate reliably and impartially, ensure transparency, and address the needs of all individuals.
Prominent tech companies like Microsoft and IBM have been enlisted as technological sponsors for this initiative, which arose from concerns voiced by Pope Francis over a year ago regarding the societal implications of AI.
John Kelly II, IBM’s executive vice president and a signer of the document, expressed the Pope’s key worries: “Will AI be accessible to everyone, or will it deepen the divide between the privileged and the underprivileged?”
The document was presented during the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life conference on AI ethics this week. It is yet to be determined how or if these papal principles will be integrated into corporate practices. However, Kelly noted that IBM has previously declined projects when they were uneasy about the potential applications of their AI technology.
The ethical implementation of technology has come to the forefront in recent months, with rising concerns about civil liberties, privacy, and bias. There is notable apprehension regarding law enforcement agencies’ use of facial recognition technology for criminal identification. Additionally, longstanding worries about the opacity surrounding various AI algorithms utilized in trading, banking, and wealth management have consistently troubled the financial services sector.