As a specialist in artificial intelligence (AI) for the Vatican, Friar Paolo Benanti is a Franciscan friar. He has described the technology as “absolutely positive” as a result of human intelligence and skill, but he has raised ethical questions.As stated by the monk, government laws based on “ethical considerations” should follow the advancement of AI, even though he is a strong proponent of the technology, according to an AP report published on January 18.
“I have a deep understanding that there is no neutral technology because any tool could become a weapon.”
Benanti holds a degree in moral theology and has experience in engineering.He claims to be passionate about the “ethics of technology” and advises the Pope on the subject; on December 15, the Pope published a 3,400-word letter alerting the world to the perils of technology.
In addition, the Vatican AI specialist leads an AI committee that provides advice to the Italian government and is a member of the United Nations Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.
His primary worries regarding the ethical implications of AI have less to do with users of the technology and more to do with the regulation of technology and the “appropriate level of use” within societal contexts.
“Today this technology could corrode our social ties, our ability to live together as a species. So there is a need for proper governance – and here the answer is entirely ethical and entrusted to national and international relations between states.”
He pushed worldwide leaders to draft and enforce an agreement that would guarantee the moral application of AI technology in his yearly peace address for 2024.For instance, AI, according to Benanti, may be a “really powerful tool” to lower medical expenditures and expand access for physicians. But, he issued a warning about selecting data that isn’t “sufficiently inclusive” of a broad demography.Another proponent of AI’s ability to create a “more equitable place in the world” is Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft.