Pope Francis sends a message to French President Emmanuel Macron for the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit taking place in Paris, reiterating the urgent necessity of “safeguarding a space for proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programmes.”
Pope Francis has called on decision-makers to ensure human beings maintain adequate control of AI’s decision-making capabilities and to examine AI’s effects on human relationships, information, and education over time. The Holy Father made these remarks in the message he sent to French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday on the occasion of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, 10-11 February 2025. In the letter, the Pope expressed gratitude for the “praiseworthy initiative” and its efforts to include the greatest possible number of actors and experts in a reflection meant to produce concrete results. Expressing his appreciation for the tool and its potential to do good, the Pope also stressed that if AI does not have proper human oversight, “it could show its most ‘fearsome’ side by posing a threat to human dignity.” “I therefore appreciate,” the Pope said, “the efforts under way to embark with courage and determination upon a political process aimed at defending humanity from a use of artificial intelligence that could limit our worldview to realities expressible in numbers and enclosed in predetermined categories.”
Algorithms and the heart
In the message, the Holy Father said he trusts that the summit will work to create a platform of public interest on artificial intelligence, “so that every nation can find in artificial intelligence an instrument for its development and its fight against poverty, but also for the protection of its local cultures and languages.” Only in this way, he said, will every population on earth be able to contribute to artificial intelligence, so that it might “reflect the true diversity and richness that is the hallmark of our human family.” The Pope recalled a distinction he recently made between the operation of algorithms and the power of the “heart.” “While algorithms can be used to manipulate and mislead,” he said, “the heart, understood as the seat of our deepest and most authentic sentiments, can never deceive.”
Power for good for humanity
Artificial intelligence, Pope Francis observed, “can become a powerful tool in the hands of those scientists and experts who cooperate in finding innovative and creative solutions that promote the eco-sustainability of the earth, our common home,” while, he cautioned, “not overlooking the high consumption of energy associated with the operation of artificial intelligence infrastructures.” Finally, Pope Francis called for the voices of stakeholders to be taken into account in any debates about the regulation of artificial intelligence, “including the poor, the powerless, and others who often go unheard in global decision-making processes.” Finally, Pope Francis concluded by stressing, “Our ultimate challenge will always remain mankind. May we never lose sight of this!”
