Why G7 leaders are turning to a special guest — Pope Francis — for advice on AI
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Pope Francis leaves evening prayers in the Vatican Gardens on June 7. The pope will meet this week with G7 leaders to talk about the ethics of artificial intelligence.Alessandra Tarantino/POOL / AFP via Getty Images -
AI-generated image: a fake image of Pope Francis wearing a white puffer jacket.<i>Pablo Xavier; annotation by NPR</i>
BARI, Italy — When leaders of the world's leading industrialized nations meet in Italy this week, they'll be joined by a unique guest to talk about the risks posed by artificial intelligence: Pope Francis.
This is the first G7 summit to feature a pope as an invited participant. But it's not the first time that Pope Francis has weighed in on this emerging technology and how he believes it should be developed for the good of humanity.
"Right now, we have lots of ability to use artificial intelligence for bad purposes, but how can we ultimately direct it toward something which is actually beneficial to human beings, something that brings us together?" said Brian Green, director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.
Why is the pope speaking about artificial intelligence?
Pope Francis himself has been at the receiving end of AI misinformation. Last year, a picture of the pope wearing a large white puffer coat went viral. The image was generated by AI, and it prompted conversations on deepfakes and the spread of disinformation through AI technology.
In his annual message on New Year's Day this year, the pope focused on how AI can be used for peace.
His work on the issue goes back several years, when the Vatican and tech companies like Microsoft started working together to create a set of principles known as the Rome Call for AI Ethics, published in 2020. Companies and governments that sign on to the call have agreed to voluntary commitments aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in AI development.
"The Italian government has been seeking to elevate the messaging behind the Rome Call for AI Ethics and also secure new signatories," said Gregory Allen, the director of the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
What the G7 has said so far about AI
G7 leaders have been discussing artificial intelligence and AI ethics for years now. Last year, when Japan hosted the summit, G7 nations agreed to some international principles on AI called the Hiroshima framework.
Neither that framework nor the Rome Call are legally binding documents, but they do provide a pathway for accountability and future laws, Allen said.
"A lot of that [Hiroshima] language is now reflected in the text of the European Union AI Act, which is a compulsory piece of legislation. And in the United States, similar ideas are showing up in things like the White House voluntary commitments on AI that the White House negotiated with several companies," he said.
Allen said AI has been addressed at G7 ministerial meetings in the last several months, including how AI will impact labor and economies. And he expects G7 leaders to focus on AI's impact on disinformation, especially because so many elections are taking place around the world this year.
The pope brings a broader focus to the AI discussion
Pope Francis is expected to focus on ethics in his remarks at the G7. Santa Clara University's Green, who was involved in an AI report that the Vatican released in 2023, said he thinks the pope may mention ways that AI could be used to help poor people and protect the environment.
The pope will bring a different perspective on the technology than a political leader would, Green said.
"As a religious leader, the only thing he really has is his moral authority, which means that he can't really come with a big political agenda to something like this. He can't come with a huge economic agenda, but he can come with a moral agenda," Green said.
"There is a chance here for ethics and politics to work together to create a better world, specifically with this very powerful technology which is going to be transforming the future."
Transcript
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
G7 leaders meet in Italy starting tomorrow. They'll be talking about Russia's war in Ukraine, migration, labor and, notably, how artificial intelligence is affecting international relations. That session on AI is getting a special guest, Pope Francis. NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram has more on why the Pope was invited.
DEEPA SHIVARAM, BYLINE: You may remember a viral photo from last year - Pope Francis wearing an enormous white puffer coat. The picture blew up on social media, but it turned out to be AI-generated - a deepfake that took a lot of people by surprise. Perhaps more surprising is that it wasn't the first time Pope Francis himself has gotten involved in artificial intelligence. It's actually an issue he's been speaking out about since 2020.
BRIAN GREEN: The Pope has developed a bit of a reputation in the last few years as being person who's very interested in artificial intelligence and, in particular, in the social impact of AI.
SHIVARAM: That's Brian Green. He directs the Center for Technology and Ethics at Santa Clara University and was involved in a report the Vatican released on AI in 2023. Green says he thinks Pope Francis will tell world leaders this week that AI needs to be put toward good uses, like ways that will help the poor and protect the environment and promote peace. Green also says the Pope can speak on AI at the G7 from a unique standpoint because he's not a political leader.
GREEN: As a religious leader, the only thing he really has is moral authority, which means that he can't really come with a big political agenda to something like this. He can't come with a huge economic agenda, but he can come with a moral agenda.
SHIVARAM: Part of the Pope's agenda on AI is reflected in something the Vatican released a few years ago, a document called the Rome Call for AI Ethics. It calls for transparency and accountability in AI development. Companies like Microsoft and IBM have already signed on. The framework is similar to the voluntary proposals the White House got major tech companies to agree to last year.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is hosting this year's G7, and she's wanted to elevate the Rome Call and invited the Pope to speak. Gregory Allen works on AI for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in D.C.
GREGORY ALLEN: The Catholic Church is never one to say that we should not be having a conversation about AI ethics.
SHIVARAM: But Allen says G7 leaders will be talking about AI's impact on a lot of things, like the labor market, for example. And since there are so many elections around the world this year, there's heightened concern about how AI is being used to spread disinformation, especially when it comes from adversaries like China and Russia.
ALLEN: That is something that the G7 leaders, as the leaders of the most powerful democratic countries in the world, are thinking really hard about. What are we going to do to respond to this as a group and make ourselves more resilient to these types of attacks?
SHIVARAM: Last year, G7 leaders established some international rule for AI development when they met in Japan. A few months later, several world leaders met in London for a different summit on AI, and the technology will likely be a main focus at the NATO summit in D.C. in July. Regulating such a rapidly growing technology is a massive lift, which is why technologists like Green say the Pope's attendance at the G7 summit this year really matters.
GREEN: Hopefully, this opportunity will be something which is taken advantage of. Just having the Pope there and saying these words is only the first step. The next step is, what are the leaders going to do in response to this call?
SHIVARAM: Getting answers to that will take longer than just the few days in Italy. Leaders are expected to hear remarks from the Pope on Friday.
Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, Bari, Italy.
(SOUNDBITE OF KAYTRANADA ET AL.'S "BUS RIDE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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