Pope Leo warns politicians of the challenges posed by AI
Speaking at an event attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and parliamentary delegations from 68 countries, Leo revisited a topic that he has raised on a number of occasions during the first few weeks of his papacy.
'In particular, it must not be forgotten that artificial intelligence functions as a tool for the good of human beings, not to diminish them or even to replace them,' Leo said at an event held as part of the Roman Catholic Jubilee or Holy Year.
AI proponents say it will speed up scientific and technological progress and help people to carry out routine tasks, granting them more time to pursue higher-value and creative work.
The U.S.-born pontiff said attention was needed to protect 'healthy, fair and sound lifestyles, especially for the good of younger generations.'
He noted that AI's 'static memory' was in no way comparable to the 'creative, dynamic' power of human memory.
'Our personal life has greater value than any algorithm, and social relationships require spaces for development that far transcend the limited patterns that any soulless machine can pre-package,' he said.
Leo, who became pope in May, has spoken previously of the threat posed by AI to jobs and has called on journalists to use it responsibly.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
42 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
China premier: AI is a ‘tiger cub' that needs taming before it turns on us
SHANGHAI, July 26 — China's Premier Li Qiang warned today that artificial intelligence development must be weighed against the security risks, saying global consensus was urgently needed even as the tech race between Beijing and Washington shows no sign of abating. His remarks came just days after US President Donald Trump unveiled an aggressive low-regulation strategy aimed at cementing US dominance in the fast-moving field, promising to 'remove red tape and onerous regulation' that could hinder private sector AI development. Opening the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai today, Li emphasised the need for governance and open-source development, announcing the establishment of a Chinese-led body for international AI cooperation. 'The risks and challenges brought by artificial intelligence have drawn widespread attention... How to find a balance between development and security urgently requires further consensus from the entire society,' the premier said. Li said China would 'actively promote' the development of open-source AI, adding Beijing was willing to share advances with other countries, particularly developing ones. 'If we engage in technological monopolies, controls and blockage, artificial intelligence will become the preserve of a few countries and a few enterprises,' he said. 'Only by adhering to openness, sharing and fairness in access to intelligence can more countries and groups benefit from (AI).' The premier highlighted 'insufficient supply of computing power and chips' as a bottleneck. Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to advance Beijing's military systems and erode US tech dominance. For its part, China has made AI a pillar of its plans for technological self-reliance, with the government pledging a raft of measures to boost the sector. In January, Chinese startup DeepSeek unveiled an AI model that performed as well as top US systems despite using less powerful chips. 'Pet tiger cub' At a time when AI is being integrated across virtually all industries, its uses have raised major ethical questions, from the spread of misinformation to its impact on employment, or the potential loss of technological control. In a speech at WAIC today, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Geoffrey Hinton compared the situation to keeping 'a very cute tiger cub as a pet'. 'To survive', he said, you need to ensure you can train it not to kill you when it grows up. In a video message played at the WAIC opening ceremony, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said AI governance would be 'a defining test of international cooperation'. The ceremony also saw the French president's AI envoy, Anne Bouverot, underscore the 'an urgent need' for global action. At an AI summit in Paris in February, 58 countries including China, France and India — as well as the European Union and African Union Commission — called for enhanced coordination on AI governance. But the United States warned against 'excessive regulation', and alongside the United Kingdom, refused to sign the summit's appeal for an 'open', 'inclusive' and 'ethical' AI. — AFP
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Economists doubt Trump outlook that US will sell 'so much' beef to Australia
WASHINGTON/CANBERRA/CHICAGO: President Donald Trump said the US will sell "so much" beef to Australia after Canberra relaxed import restrictions on Thursday(July 24), but economists and traders said high prices and tight supplies make major American exports unlikely. Australia said it would loosen biosecurity rules for US beef. The move will not significantly increase US shipments, though, because Australia is a major beef producer and exporter whose prices are much lower, analysts said. US companies export small quantities of beef to Australian buyers. They import much more in the form of lean beef used to make hamburgers, particularly as US production has declined because of tight cattle supplies. US beef prices set records this year after ranchers slashed their herds due to drought that burned up pasturelands used for grazing. The total herd size fell to 94.2 million head as of July 1, a record low for that date, according to US Department of Agriculture data on Friday. A ban on cattle imports from Mexico because of New World screwworm, a devastating livestock pest, and steep tariffs on Brazilian beef that are set to take effect on Aug. 1 could further tighten meat supplies, and require additional imports of Australian beef. "We can't get enough beef in the US right now, so we're bringing it in from Australia and Brazil," said Dan Norcini, an independent US livestock trader. "We're not going to be selling anything significant to anyone." Last year, Australia shipped almost 400,000 metric tonnes of beef worth US$2.9 billion to the United States, with just 269 tonnes of US product moving the other way. "They have more cattle than people," said David Anderson, an agricultural economist at Texas A&M University. "That's why they export so much." US and Australian beef also taste different. Many Australians like the grass-fed beef raised there, not marbled beef from US-raised cattle that are generally fed with grain, said Jerry Klassen, chief analyst for Resilient Capital in Winnipeg. He predicted the United States will not export substantial amounts of beef to Australia in the next five years. "We just aren't in a position to export much beef to anyone, and the reality is Australia doesn't really have much need for US beef," said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag. The barriers that remain to exporting significant volumes of US beef to Australia appeared to be lost on Trump this week. "We are going to sell so much to Australia because this is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that US Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE." Trump has attempted to renegotiate trade deals with numerous countries he says have taken advantage of the United States, a characterisation many economists dispute. "For decades, Australia imposed unjustified barriers on US beef," US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement, calling Australia's decision a "major milestone in lowering trade barriers and securing market access for US farmers and ranchers." Australian officials say the relaxation of restrictions was not part of any trade negotiations but the result of a years-long assessment of US biosecurity practices. Canberra has restricted US beef imports since 2003 due to concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. Since 2019, it has allowed in meat from animals born, raised and slaughtered in the US but few suppliers were able to prove that their cattle had not been in Canada and Mexico. The US sources some of its feeder cattle from the two neighbouring countries. On Wednesday, Australia's agriculture ministry said US cattle traceability and control systems had improved enough that Australia could accept beef from cattle born in Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the United States. The decision has caused some concern in Australia, where biosecurity is seen as essential to prevent diseases and pests from ravaging the farm sector. "We need to know if (the government) is sacrificing our high biosecurity standards just so Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can obtain a meeting with US President Donald Trump," shadow agriculture minister David Littleproud said in a statement. Australia faces a 10 per cent across-the-board US tariff, as well 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium. Trump has also threatened to impose a 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals. Asked whether the change would help achieve a trade deal, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said: "I'm not too sure." "We haven't done this in order to entice the Americans into a trade agreement," he said. "We think that they should do that anyway." - Reuters
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
China must strike a delicate balance in its approach towards Thai-Cambodian conflict, say analysts
CHONGQING, (China): China faces a delicate balancing act as it decides what role it should play in the ongoing border hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia, two South-east Asian nations that are its close neighbours and which it wields strong influence over. Analysts told The Straits Times that while the clash, which began on Thursday (July 24) and has so far reportedly left at least 16 dead, could present an opportunity for China to showcase its leadership in the region, the world's second-largest economy is likely to keep to its traditional approach of having the two countries resolve the matter on their own. It is also likely to first look to Asean as it assesses how it can best help the process along. But that does not mean that China will not attempt to bring both countries to the negotiating table as the conflict is happening in its neighbourhood, said Professor Fan Lei, an expert on China-Asean relations at China's Charhar Institute, an international relations think-tank. Asean is China's largest trading partner, representing 16.6 per cent of the world's second-largest economy's overall foreign trade. Total trade between Asean and China reached 1.71 trillion yuan (S$305 billion) in 2024, up 7.1 per cent from 2023. Analysts pointed to how China can play a bigger role in the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, given that China is both countries' top trading partner and thus wields strong economic influence over both states. Thailand relies on Chinese imports such as machinery, electronics and vehicles. China is also Thailand's top source of foreign tourists. Meanwhile, bilateral trade between Cambodia and China grew 26.9 per cent in the first six months of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024, official data from Cambodia showed. China is a major investor in both Thailand and Cambodia in sectors such as electric vehicles, infrastructure and real estate. It also conducts separate military exercises with Cambodia and Thailand. In April, Chinese-sponsored upgrades to Ream Naval Base in Cambodia raised concerns about China's growing footprint in South-east Asia. But China has to tread a delicate balance. On the one hand, 'China may feel that it should not just sit idly by and do nothing if such military conflict is in its neighbourhood', said Associate Professor Li Mingjiang, an expert on Chinese foreign policy and regional security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. On the other hand, it has to be mindful not to 'leave the impression it is disregarding Asean', said Professor Zhu Feng, dean at the School of International Studies at Nanjing University. Already, countries in South-east Asia are wary of China's expanding influence in the region – and its clashes with the Philippines over maritime territorial claims – as they navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape amid intense US-China rivalry. That is why China is most likely to conduct 'quiet and informal mediation', Prof Li said, adding that he believes 'Chinese diplomats may already be involved in discussions with Cambodia and Thailand, urging them to de-escalate and engage in talks'. Professor Gu Jiayun, vice-dean at the School of Asian Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said: 'It is in China's interest to keep the peace among its neighbours, given that conflict can hurt the region's as well as its own development prospects.' Prof Gu said that both Thailand and Cambodia have 'shown restraint in the clash so far, so they might be looking for an out to start negotiations'. Publicly, Thailand has rejected mediation efforts from third countries to end the ongoing conflict. However, it has signalled that the door will be kept open for Asean to facilitate a return to bilateral negotiations with Cambodia. Phnom Penh has written to the United Nations for help – the first time in more than a decade that an Asean member state has made such a request. The latest border dispute escalated sharply on July 24 after a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia that day. Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have been steaming since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief exchange of gunfire near the border in north-eastern Thailand. Both countries – which share a long history of border disputes that date back to France's occupation of Cambodia until 1953 – have blamed each other for the latest escalation, and downgraded their diplomatic ties on July 23. During a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn in Beijing on July 25, Wang said that China 'stands ready to continue playing a constructive role in easing tensions (between Thailand and Cambodia) and de-escalating the situation in an impartial and fair manner'. Calling the latest deadly clash 'distressing and concerning', Wang added: 'China appreciates and supports the proactive mediation efforts of the Asean Chair and encourages the 'Asean Way' to promote dialogue and political resolution.' Asean's fundamental principles include mutual respect for the sovereignty of all nations, non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, peaceful settlement of disputes, and renunciation of the threat or use of force. On July 24, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters at a regular briefing that 'China has and will continue to promote talks (between the two Asean states) for peace in its own way, and play a constructive role in promoting de-escalation'. Prof Fan said that China is likely to draw Cambodia and Thailand into negotiations with economic ways. This would be in line with the Chinese government's emphasis on cooperative win-win partnerships and non-interference principles regarding foreign diplomacy that are part of China's Three Global Initiatives, he added. 'It is also a possibility that China might encourage Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their dispute at Hong Kong's new international mediation body,' Prof Fan said. China signed on May 30 a convention to set up an international organisation for mediation in Hong Kong to resolve cross-border disputes among countries and international companies that Beijing hopes can match up to the UN's International Court of Justice. Analysts noted that China's actions will be a test of its diplomatic strength in the region. Prof Li said China has been signalling that 'it does want to gradually play a slightly larger role in the region' that goes beyond traditional security issues. Chinese President Xi Jinping's first overseas trip in 2025 amid growing trade tensions with the US was to South-east Asia, where he visited Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam for a week in April. Prof Li said: 'The conflict between Cambodia and Thailand could be an opportunity for China to try out its limited role so far in addressing the security issues in the Mekong region, cautiously, quietly and informally, of course.' - The Straits Times/ANN
