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May 11, 2020

Papal academy fosters ethics, multidisciplinary alliances in AI debate

A robot equipped with artificial intelligence is seen at the AI Xperience Center at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels Feb. 19, 2020. The Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life is fostering ethics and multidisciplinary alliances in the AI debate.

VATICAN CITY -- Given the huge impact technology and artificial intelligence will have on humanity and the environment, the Pontifical Academy for Life is seeking to foster more ethical and moral reflection.

Published in Vatican
February 28, 2020

Humanity, ethics must be at center of AI technology, Pope Francis says

A robot equipped with artificial intelligence is seen at the AI Xperience Center at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels Feb. 19, 2020. The use of artificial intelligence in science and medicine must be guided by ethical standards that place humanity and the pursuit of the common good first, Pope Francis said Feb. 28 in a message to participants in the general assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life at the Vatican.

VATICAN CITY -- The use of artificial intelligence in science and medicine must be guided by ethical standards that place humanity and the pursuit of the common good first, Pope Francis said.

Published in Faith
September 27, 2019

Vatican summit highlights dangers in tech revolution

A pharmaceutical robot is seen at the Vatican in this undated photo. The Vatican pharmacy, which serves some 2,000 customers a day, has started using a pharmacy robot to more efficiently manage its stock, automatically retrieve medications and deliver them quickly to the sales floor.

VATICAN CITY -- Robots making human workers obsolete and artificially intelligent computers wreaking havoc on democratic debates are just some of the threats humanity faces in the increasingly digital future, Pope Francis said.

Published in Vatican
March 28, 2019

Autonomous weapons systems threaten peace, says Vatican official

Activists from the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations opposing lethal autonomous weapons, protest at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin March, 21, 2019.

VATICAN CITY - The growing use of autonomous weapons systems poses serious risks to global peace and stability, a Vatican representative told a U.N. meeting in Geneva.

Published in Vatican
February 14, 2019

Pope Francis meets head of Microsoft to discuss ethics in technology, artificial intelligence

Pope Francis meets with Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft, at Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican Feb. 13, 2019.
VATICAN – The president of Microsoft, Brad Smith, told Pope Francis that a "human voice" was needed to speak up in the world of technology today.
Published in International
November 30, 2017

Cathy Majtenyi: Robot ‘care’ can’t replace love of the Body of Christ

Sophia speaking at the AI for GOOD Global Summit in Geneva in June 2017. The humanoid robot is developed by Hong Kong-based company, Hanson Robotics. On Oct. 2017 she became a Saudi Arabian citizen, the first robot to do so.
A pivotal moment in human history occurred Oct. 25 at the Future Investment Initiative conference in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Published in Register Columnists
November 21, 2017

Science, humanities must overcome 'tragic division,' Pope says

A robot is seen on display during the Artificial Intelligence Exhibition and Conference in Tokyo June 28. A recent Vatican conference looked at the challenges facing humanity given rapid advancements in neuroscience, genetics in medicine and artificial intelligence.
VATICAN CITY – Science, technology, religion and the humanities need to work together for their mutual benefit and to safeguard humanity, Pope Francis said.
Published in International
August 10, 2017

Comment: Artificial intelligence is coming, ready or not

A humanoid robot dances at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Berlin in 2016. Rapidly emerging fields of artificial intellgence are posing challenges to what it means to be human.

The other day, I got into a discussion about singularity and artificial intelligence with a computer science student. He’s young, smart and full of optimism. I’m older, debatably wiser and certainly more skeptical about the benefits of AI.

Published in Robert Brehl
December 5, 2016

Vatican weighs in on power, limits of artificial intelligence

At the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, experts discussed the power and limitations of artificial intelligence.

VATICAN CITY – This week the Vatican hosted a high-level discussion in the world of science, gathering experts to discuss the progress, benefits and limits of advances in artificial intelligence.

Published in Vatican