Parolin ‘concerned’ over states ‘going it alone’ on AI

The Holy See Secretary of State answers journalists’ questions AI regulation and the conflict in Ukraine.

“Let us stop and genuinely reflect on what the consequences of artificial intelligence and its use might be”.

That was the appeal made by Holy See Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on the sidelines of a conference on ‘Faith and Reason in the Age of Artificial Intelligence’, held this afternoon, 16 September, at the Italian parliament.

AI, its potential and the risks it poses to humanity and the common good were the focus of the cardinal’s address at the conference, as well as of his answers to journalists’ questions on international affairs.

These began with the call for AI regulation recently made by the Big Tech companies themselves. “We hope that it is ethical reasoning that drives this kind of consideration”, Parolin said.

‘Going it alone’

The cardinal praised Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s recent call for responsibility on the part of states and supranational bodies in governing new technologies. This is “a global phenomenon” which “requires everyone’s participation”, he said.

“My concern is that there are countries which, in fact, want to go it alone”, Parolin said. Instead, what is required is 'everyone’s involvement in establishing some common rules that can genuinely govern this phenomenon”.

Parolin expressed the hope that everyone might “come together to find answers because, it seems to me, the future of humanity is really at stake here”.

Cooperation between states

Asked about his participation in the United Nations General Assembly and whether he would use the occasion to call for the creation of an international board to oversee artificial intelligence, the cardinal played down the idea.

“Probably we are not going to look for immediate technical solutions at this stage,' he said. 'The Holy See normally sets out and puts forward principles. Then the solution to the problem of cooperation will have to be found by those concerned, at the level of states and of the bodies involved.”

Personal use of AI

Asked about his personal use of AI, the cardinal said: “Today artificial intelligence is imposing itself, because when you open your computer and read something, it already gives you a summary”.

He added that he certainly does not use AI for his homilies: “Artificial intelligence is all head and no heart. I try to put a little heart into my homilies”.

The Holy See’s advocacy for Ukraine

The Secretary of State then answered questions about the situation in Ukraine and the role of the Holy See's diplomacy in a conflict that is becoming increasingly serious and moving ever closer to the EU’s borders.

“The results are rather limited”, he acknowledged, “but we continue on our path” of humanitarian diplomacy. “The diplomacy of the Holy See, the diplomacy of sowing, does not produce a harvest. So we hope that, by continuing to sow, one day, when God wills it, we may also reap”.

The 'win-win' solution

The cardinal said he had no details on when Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), would travel to Russia to continue the peacebuilding mission he began in Ukraine last summer. He reiterated, however, that the Holy See would continue its humanitarian efforts “in the hope that this may open doors”.

In this regard, he repeated that Moscow should not be isolated and that it was important to “establish some kind of channel where people can talk to one another”, because “only by talking to each other can solutions be found”. He declined to comment on recent remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Russian ultra-nationalists want to destroy Europe, but expressed the hope that a “platform can be found where everyone feels safe and everyone can also grow in well-being and prosperity”.

“I believe this is the way forward,” the cardinal Secretary of State emphasized, “the ‘win-win solution’ we so often speak of in diplomacy—that is, a solution that truly brings benefits to both sides … And I believe that if we move in this direction, perhaps there will no longer be a need ... for one side to prevail over the other, or for one side to destroy the other.”

Vatican News
Source: vaticannews.va/en