Cardinal Czerny: Message notes risks and need to promote peace

By Tiziana Campisi

Artificial intelligence is a hallmark of the present, ever-changing world and "requires careful scrutiny to make sure that it really serves the common good, protects the inalienable value of the human person, and promotes our fundamental rights." Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, illustrated this point in his presentation of the Pope's message on the theme at a press conference held by the Holy See Press Office on Thursday morning. He noted that this is why Pope Francis in dedicating his Message for the 57th World Day of Peace on the theme of artificial intelligence wished to identify the challenges that new technologies pose in building a more just and fraternal world. 

Also presenting aspects of the Pope's message alongside him were Professor Mathieu Guillermin, an associate professor at the Université Catholique de Lyon and coordinator of the international project New Humanism at the time of Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence," Fr. Riccardo Lufrani, O.P., professor of Theology and Theology of Techno-sciences Rome's LUMSA University, and Professor Barbara Caputo, professor at Italy's Politecnico di Torino and a co-founder of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems Society.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development

Anthropological challenges

Cardinal Czerny pointed out that the Pope in his 2024 Message for the World Day of Peace draws attention to the "unscrupulous use of technology, driven exclusively by lust for profit and vested interests" that can cause "inequalities, injustices, tensions, conflicts". Artificial intelligence poses challenges that are not only technical, he noted in quoting from the Message, "but also anthropological, social, educational and political", and so its use for the purposes of war is frightening. Increasingly sophisticated and destructive, artificial intelligence can "remove human responsibility from the scene of battle."

Education on technology

"Artificial intelligence can also threaten social justice", Cardinal Czerny continued, because in the world of work, for example, "'knowledge machines' and robotics are wiping out more and more jobs, with major increases in poverty." In the field of information, on the other hand, "there are new ways to distort both words and images, deliberately to misinform and manipulate, and these seriously endanger civil order and democratic government". And so, as the Pope points out, education is crucial. "forming those who design algorithms and digital technologies to be more responsible," and then "training everyone, especially young people, to use new technologies consciously and to think critically about their impacts, especially on the poor and the environment."

Need for regulation

Cardinal Czerny then noted that "effective regulations are needed within States as well as multilateral agreements and binding treaties" in order to regulate the development and use of artificial intelligence in a responsible manner. He explained that is why Pope Francis in his Message urges heads of state, political authorities, and leaders of civil society to exercise co-responsibility and invites everyone to "pay attention and choose well, if we are to hand down a better, more peaceful world to the generations to follow".

In order to promote the Pope's Message and better explore and understand its theme and implications, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has made available a number of multimedia aids in Italian, English, Portuguese, Spanish and French, as well as information material and theological reflections. Also posted are the full texts of the experts presenting at the press conference on 14 December.