Pope calls for binding global treaty on artificial intelligence

[December 14, 2023]  ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis called on Thursday for a legally binding international treaty to regulate artificial intelligence.
 
The pope made his call in a message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, which is celebrated on Jan. 1. The title of the message, which is traditionally sent to world leaders, is "Artificial Intelligence and Peace". 

Pope Francis holds a weekly general audience, at the Vatican, December 13, 2023. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

"The global scale of artificial intelligence makes it clear that, alongside the responsibility of sovereign states to regulate its use internally, international organizations can play a decisive role in reaching multilateral agreements and coordinating their application and enforcement," he wrote.

"I urge the global community of nations to work together in order to adopt a binding international treaty that regulates the development and use of artificial intelligence in its many forms," the pope said.

Francis, who has often criticised the armaments industry, warned against the use of artificial intelligence in weapons systems.

"Research on emerging technologies in the area of so-called Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems, including the weaponization of artificial intelligence, is a cause for grave ethical concern. Autonomous weapon systems can never be morally responsible subjects," he said.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella, editing by Gavin Jones and Alex Richardson)

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.