6 AI ethics appeals from the Pope

Pope Francesco is also a fan of the smartphone game (Follow JC Go) for the first time ever to try programming or get adults instead of Pokemon. Among the popes of all time, he is a tech-savvy figure The Pope, who also has 18.2 million Twitter followers, is poised to promote the ethical use of AI with multinational companies leading the field of AI technology.

On February 28, the Pope signed the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a document focusing on the ethical use of AI. In addition to the Pope, Microsoft, IBM, the Chairman of the European Parliament, Italy’s Minister of Innovation, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO were also named. The intention is to prevent the use of AI for unethical purposes such as human rights violations and racial discrimination.

Rome’s appeal to AI ethics sets out six principles. First is transparency. In principle, an AI system should be able to explain. Second is diversity. AI has to take everyone’s needs into account, so everyone can benefit. In addition, all individuals must be able to express themselves through AI and enjoy the best conditions for growing.

Third is responsibility. Those who design or use AI must proceed with the development with accountability and transparency in mind. Next is fairness. AI practitioners cannot act or develop based on prejudice and must uphold fairness and human dignity. Next is reliability. This means that the system must operate stably. Finally, security and privacy. This means that AI systems should operate safely and respect the privacy of users.

This appeal is in line with the remarks of the exchange himself a year ago when he was concerned about the impact of AI on society. The Pope’s greatest concern is to make sure that AI can be used by anyone and is not divided into those who have AI and those who do not. Although he did not participate in this signing, the Pope also talked with Facebook Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet Advisor Eric Schmidt to share opinions on technology and social media.

Microsoft said it is proud to be part of an important step in the debate where everyone can participate and respect each other in this era of digital technology and humanity. IBM also said that the Vatican is not a technology specialist, but it has moral values. This collaboration will help the entire society surrounding the Vatican understand the need for the ethical use of AI.

On the other hand, there are few participants about the signature, and there are opinions that question the effectiveness of the contents due to ambiguity. It is pointed out that Google and Facebook are missing, and China, one of the biggest drivers of AI innovation, is missing, and the prospects for the Chinese government and companies to follow the Vatican’s signature are almost zero. Foreign media say that this appeal, like other AI ethics agreements, lacks vague and unrealistic effectiveness.For example, AI should be able to explain, but it is difficult for humans to hear and understand the original complex machine learning algorithm description, some experts explained. There are concerns that the possibility requirement will limit or slow down the potential benefits of AI in fields such as medicine.

The Holy See also acknowledged that the current effectiveness is low, and said this appeal is intended to inform many people about the ethics required by AI, and that it will be effective only when more legal entities, international organizations, governments, and regulators sign additionally. . To this end, the first signatory will cooperate and carry out scientific verification on AI ethics with universities and research institutes around the world. Related information can be found here .