Pope makes G7 history as he calls for stronger safety measures to deal with AI
POPE Francis yesterday become the first pontiff to address the G7, raising the promise and perils of artificial intelligence (AI) before the leaders of the world’s leading industrialised nations.
Francis addressed the group and other invited countries at their annual summit in Apulia, southern Italy.
When he arrived, the room, which had been boisterous with delegations, went quiet as he greeted each of the G7 members and the expanded guest list.
The Pope used the occasion to join the chorus of countries and global bodies pushing for stronger safeguards on AI following the boom in generative artificial intelligence kickstarted by Openai’s CHATGPT.
He challenged leaders of the world’s wealthy democracies to keep human dignity foremost in developing and using AI, warning that such powerful technology risks turning human relations themselves into mere algorithms.
Francis said politicians must take the lead in making AI human-centric, so that human decisions always remain made by humans, and not machines.
“We would condemn humanity to a future without hope if we took away people’s ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives, by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines,” he said.
“We need to ensure and safeguard a space for proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programs: Human dignity itself depends on it.”
The pontiff used his annual peace message this year to call for an international treaty to ensure AI is developed and used ethically. He argues that a technology lacking human values of compassion, mercy, morality and forgiveness is too perilous to develop unchecked.
On the summit’s second day, the G7 leaders turned their attention to migration, seeking ways to combat trafficking and increase investment in countries from where migrants start out on often life-threatening journeys.
The gathering in a luxury resort in Italy’s southern Puglia region is also discussing other major topics, such as financial support for Ukraine, the war in Gaza, artificial intelligence, climate change, as well as China’s industrial policy and economic security.
But some divisions also appeared to emerge over the wording of the summit’s final declaration, with disagreement reported over the inclusion of a reference to abortion.
Migration is of particular interest to summit host Italy, which lies on one of the major routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Right-wing Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, known for her hardline stance on the issue, has been eager to increase investment and funding for African nations as a means of reducing migratory pressure on Europe.
Ms Meloni has a controversial five-year deal with neighbouring Albania for the Balkan country to host thousands of asylum-seekers while Italy processes their claims.
She has also spearheaded the “Mattei Plan” for Africa, a continentwide strategy to increase economic opportunities at home and so discourage migration to Europe.
More than 22,000 people have arrived in Italy by sea so far in 2024, according to UNHCR figures. In 2023, more than 157,000 arrived, and nearly 2,000 died or went missing while attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing.
America has also been struggling with a growing number of migrants at its southern border. US President Joe Biden introduced new policies to curb migration after a bill he tried to get through Congress failed to pass.
G7 leaders say they will launch a “coalition” designed to counter migrant smuggling by boosting the investigative capacities of countries of origin, transit and destination. In a draft statement to be released at today’s conclusion of the summit, G7 leaders say they will work to improve “reliable data exchanges” between countries that are crucial for joint enforcement actions against smuggling and trafficking networks.
The draft said the G7 will utilise a “follow the money” approach to identify, investigate and disrupt organised crime while enhancing co-operation on seizing criminal assets.
Apart from the G7 nations of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, the Italian hosts have also invited several African leaders to press Ms Meloni’s migration and development initiatives. Others invited include Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Brazil leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
We need to ensure and safeguard a space for proper human control