By Stefan J. Bos, Chiel International Correspondent Worthy News
VATICAN CITY (Worthy News) – Pope Francis on Thursday expressed concerns about artificial intelligence saying a global treaty was needed to develop the new technology ethically and peacefully.
The leader of more than a billion Catholics warned of the risks of AI that he claimed lacked human values such as compassion, mercy, morality, and forgiveness.
Francis added his voice to increasing calls for binding, global regulation of AI in his annual message for the World Day of Peace, which the Catholic Church celebrates each January 1.
The title of the message, which is traditionally sent to world leaders and heads of institutions such as the United Nations, is “Artificial Intelligence and Peace”
It came as governments worldwide are seekingto balance the advantages of the technology, which can engage in human-like conversations, answer questions and write computer code, against the need to put guard rails in place.
“The global scale of artificial intelligence makes it clear that, alongside the responsibility of sovereign states to regulate its use internally, international organizations can play a decisive role in reaching multilateral agreements and coordinating their application and enforcement,” Francis wrote in the message.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY
“I urge the global community of nations to work together in order to adopt a binding international treaty that regulates the development and use of artificial intelligence in its many forms,” the pope said.
Last week, the European Union reached a provisional deal on landmark rules governing the use of AI, including governments’ use of AI in biometric surveillance and how to regulate AI systems such as ChatGPT.
“I’m not aware of any specific statements from the pope regarding the regulation of AI,” ChatGPT said when asked by Worthy News for comment.
“Opinions on regulating AI can vary widely, and they often involve considerations related to ethics, privacy, and the potential impact of AI on society,” ChatGPT stressed.
“If there have been developments or statements from the pope on this topic since then, I would not be aware of them.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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