Pope Francis has warned participants at the Davos Forum of the risk that artificial intelligence (AI) will be used to promote the idea that “all the world's problems [are] solvable through technological means alone,” in a message sent on January 23, 2025. “Human dignity must never be violated for the sake of efficiency,” he insists.
The pontiff's message is addressed to the president of the World Economic Forum, an annual summit (from January 20 to 24 this year) that brings together leading political and economic figures in the Swiss town of Davos. This year's theme is “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age.”
Recently, the Holy See has taken an active part in the debate on the possible ethical problems that could arise from the spectacular rise of AI.
In 2020, the Pontifical Academy for Life launched the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a pact signed by companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Cisco. Following on from this text, the Pope has personally intervened on several occasions to defend an approach centered on human dignity, speaking in particular at the most recent G7 summit, held in Italy in June 2024.
3 main challenges
In this new message, the pontiff points out that the use of the term “intelligence” in AI “is a misnomer,” because “AI is not an artificial form of human intelligence, but a product of it.”
He identifies three main challenges facing business leaders and decision-makers when it comes to AI.
Firstly, he notes that this technology is capable of generating data “at skill level and speed that often rival or surpass human capabilities,” raising the question of “its impact on humanity's role in the world.”
He also points out that the results produced by AI are often “almost indistinguishable from those of human beings,” and warns of the risk of aggravating “the growing crisis of truth in the public forum.”
Finally, the Pope points out that the fact that AI can “learn and make certain choices autonomously” poses a problem in terms of “ethical responsibility” and “safety.”
Applying the principle of subsidiarity
The pontiff recalls that the Catholic Church is not opposed to the development of technologies.
“When used correctly, AI assists the human person in fulfilling his or her vocation, in freedom and responsibility,” he maintains.
The danger, he insists, lies in the generalization of the “‘technocratic paradigm,’ which perceives all the world’s problems as solvable through technological means alone.”
“Human dignity must never be violated for the sake of efficiency,” urges Pope Francis, pleading for AI to be a tool “not only for cooperation but also to bring peoples together.”
Stressing that the effects of this technology “are not always predictable from [its] inception,” he invites us to accompany its development by applying the principle of subsidiarity.
A new document in preparation
Pope Francis' statement comes a day after President Donald Trump announced the launch of “Stargate,” a $500 billion plan to support the development of AI in the United States. This project calls for the construction of data centers to boost the technological and energy capabilities of AI data processing.
In addition, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, recently announced that a document on artificial intelligence is in preparation. Drawn up in conjunction with the Dicastery for Culture and Education, this text will examine the social, ethical, and philosophical impacts of AI. According to a Vatican source consulted by I.MEDIA, the text is due to be published on January 28.
