AI Development Posed as a Moral Dilemma by Pope Leo
In a groundbreaking initiative, Pope Leo has spearheaded a multi-faith consultation on digital dignity, launched in 2023, aiming to guide the responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI). This call to action comes as citizens are encouraged to advocate for AI policies that prioritise human dignity, fairness, and ethical research.
The Rome Call for AI Ethics, first unveiled in 2020, is a global ethical framework that has garnered support from the Vatican, major technology companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Qualcomm, and religious leaders and academic institutions worldwide. This joint declaration aims to promote a human-centered approach to AI development.
The Rome Call outlines six core principles intended to guide the ethical design, deployment, and governance of AI technologies. These principles include transparency, inclusion, responsibility, impartiality, reliability, and security, which are seen as both ethical imperatives and practical standards that can foster trust, innovation, and positive social impact.
While the Rome Call has attracted numerous signatories, its implementation remains limited and mostly voluntary. The Vatican, under Pope Leo XIV and the RenAIssance Foundation (established by Pope Francis in 2021), continues to reinvigorate the initiative. The Pope has highlighted risks such as the erosion of human dignity, the displacement of labour without sustainable alternatives, and the potential distortion of truth and empathy caused by unchecked AI development.
In the broader global AI governance landscape, the Rome Call offers a moral leadership model that encourages voluntary ethical compliance rather than legally mandated regulation. It complements technical and legal frameworks by emphasising respect for human values, justice, and conscience. The Vatican has also advocated for ethical limits on autonomous weapons and raised ethical concerns over the integration of AI in military technologies.
In 2024, Pope Leo declared AI a global moral crisis and proposed a values-centered intergovernmental consortium. The Vatican's contributions could influence international negotiations related to AI law, and the Church's focus on human dignity and moral responsibility may also impact efforts like the development of global AI legislation.
The Church's approach to AI is rooted in its historical response to past innovations, such as the printing press and genetic science, with careful evaluation and a commitment to promoting pluralism while safeguarding universal rights. The global ethics consortium designed to produce enforceable ethical guidelines for AI is a testament to this commitment.
As the world navigates the complexities of AI, the Rome Call for AI Ethics serves as a significant ethical initiative, emphasising human-centered values and spiritual considerations alongside technological advancement. Despite challenges in widespread implementation, it remains a key reference for moral responsibility in AI development worldwide.
Artificial intelligence technology, guided by the principles outlined in the Rome Call for AI Ethics, requires a human-centered approach to its design, deployment, and governance, prioritizing transparency, inclusion, responsibility, impartiality, reliability, and security. The global ethical framework, supported by the Vatican, major technology companies, and world leaders, aims to foster trust, innovation, and positive social impact, while also addressing risks associated with AI development, such as the erosion of human dignity and the displacement of labor.
