Pope Leo XIV Flags AI Impact on Kids' Intellectual and Spiritual Development
History's first American pope sent a message to a conference of AI and ethics, part of which was taking place in the Vatican, in a sign of the Holy See's concern for the new technologies and what they mean for humanity. In the message, Leo said any further development of AI must be evaluated according to the 'superior ethical criterion' of the need to safeguard the dignity of each human being while respecting the diversity of the world's population. He warned specifically that new generations are most at risk, given they have never had such quick access to information.
'All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development,' he said in the message. 'Society's well-being depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities and not allow them to confuse mere access to data with intelligence.'
'In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life than with the availability of data,' he said.
Leo, who was elected in May after the death of Pope Francis, has identified AI as one of the most critical matters facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice, and labor. He has explained his concern for AI by invoking his namesake, Pope Leo XIII. That Leo was pope during the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and made the plight of workers and the need to guarantee their rights and dignity a key priority.
Toward the end of his pontificate, Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it. Francis said politicians must take the lead in making sure AI remains human-centric so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools always remain made by humans and not machines.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Greece, EU to press Libya on migrant crossings as Mediterranean numbers surge
ATHENS: The European Union 's commissioner for migration says Europe will take a 'firm' approach with authorities in Libya following a spike in illegal migration across the Mediterranean. Commissioner Magnus Brunner plans to travel to Libya next week with government representatives from Greece, Italy and Malta, seeking tougher measures from Libyan authorities to stop boats carrying migrants from leaving for Europe. 'That is actually a question which bothers us quite a lot at the moment. Libya is, of course, at the top of the agenda, and we're traveling together to Libya next week because we have to be fast, I think, and firm,' Brunner said Tuesday at a conference in Athens. Brunner, who discussed the upcoming visit at a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said the delegation would meet with representatives from both the United Nations-recognized government in western Libya and a rival authority in the east. Greece recently announced plans to send warships to international waters in the region following a surge in crossings from Libya to the southern Greek island of Crete — a more perilous route than the more frequently used passage between Turkiye and nearby Greek islands. In 2023, hundreds died when the fishing trawler Adriana, carrying migrants from Libya to Italy, sank off Greek waters.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Greece, EU to Press Libya on Migrant Crossings as Mediterranean Numbers Surge
The European Union's commissioner for migration says Europe will take a firm approach with authorities in Libya following a spike in illegal migration across the Mediterranean. Commissioner Magnus Brunner plans to travel to Libya next week with government representatives from Greece, Italy, and Malta seeking tougher measures from Libyan authorities to stop boats carrying migrants from leaving for Europe. 'That is actually a question which bothers us quite a lot at the moment. Libya is of course at the top of the agenda and we're traveling together to Libya next week because we have to be fast, I think, and firm,' Brunner said Tuesday at a conference in Athens. Brunner, who discussed the upcoming visit at a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said the delegation would meet with representatives from both the UN-recognized government in western Libya and a rival authority in the east. Greece recently announced plans to send warships to international waters in the region following a surge in crossings from Libya to the southern Greek island of Crete–a more perilous route than the more frequently used passage between Turkey and nearby Greek islands. In 2023, hundreds died when the fishing trawler Adriana, carrying migrants from Libya to Italy, sank off Greek waters.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Netanyahu to visit White House as Gaza truce pressure mounts
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House next week for talks with President Donald Trump, a US official said Monday, as Washington ramps up the pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza. The July 7 visit — Netanyahu's third since Trump returned to power in January — comes after Trump said that he hoped for a truce in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory within a week. A Trump administration official confirmed the visit to AFP on condition of anonymity. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Netanyahu had 'expressed interest' in a meeting with Trump and that both sides were 'working on a date.' 'This has been a priority for the president since he took office, to end this brutal war in Gaza,' Leavitt told reporters in a briefing. 'It's heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end.' A senior Israeli official, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, is due to visit the White House this week for talks to lay the ground for Netanyahu's visit, Leavitt said. Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to visit Trump in his second term in February, when the US president surprised him by suddenly announcing a plan for the United States to 'take over' Gaza. The Israeli premier visited again in April. The end of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has provided a window of opportunity for a deal, with Trump keen to add another peace agreement to a series of recent deals he has brokered. 'We think even next week, we're going to get a ceasefire,' Trump told reporters on Friday. He followed up by pressing Israel in a post on his Truth Social network on Sunday to 'make the deal in Gaza.' But on the ground, Israel has continued to pursue its offensive across the Palestinian territory in a bid to destroy Hamas. Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli forces killed at least 51 people on Monday, including 24 at a seafront rest area. Trump meanwhile appeared to leverage US aid to Israel at the weekend as he called for that country's prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Netanyahu. 'The United States of America spends billions of dollars a year, far more than on any other nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this,' Trump posted. The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages during ISIS's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Of these, 49 are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
