During the last days of his life, Pope Francis, who died aged 88, used his platform to speak on the evolving matters of humanity and technology. The decisive social media turns out to have an impact on intelligence, causing me personally to suffer from a notion provoked through AI-synthesized evasiveness, which shows how anyone is at risk in the contemporary aggravated digital world. Technology concerns him greatly, especially regarding Taiwan’s 2023 concern with social media platforms and screen time.
The AI Puffer Jacket: A Notable AI Snapshot Propaganda
In 2023, an image went viral of Pope Francis walking on St. Peter’s Square with a glorious cape of fur and a “diamond” crucifix. The faux popish glamour was loved by many since for them, the image was quite believable and added extra zest to their Holy Father’s wardrobe. Later, it was revealed as an AI deepfake, and because of AI’s digital misinterpretation of the possibility and mechanics behind multidimensional Parisiology images, it is now a matter of concern.
A Cry for Humanity: Real Interaction Instead of Screens
While using social media with the intention of spreading a message, Pope Francis also warns of the risk of social media inflaming division rather than aiding in unity. In his final prayer, which was voiced online earlier in the month, he “tasked” humanity with prioritizing in-person interactions over online engagement. “Something’s amiss if we are spending an excessive amount of time on our phones as opposed to being in the company of people,” he remarked. He urged that “the use of new technologies should never replace human relationships, will honor the human person, and will assist in overcoming the crises that we face in contemporary society.”
The Existential Threat of AI: The Need for Ethical Parameters
Pope Francis has been worried about the need for AI in society, and this resulted in the Vatican releasing a document covering the ethical bounds for its use. “Antiqua et Nova” is the title of this document covering the bounds of its usage, stating AI is only a tool and should in no way replace the ingenuity of humankind. The document cites Pope Francis asserting, “The very use of the word ‘intelligence’ in connection to AI ‘can prove misleading’… Thus, AI ought not to be regarded as a false surrogate of human intelligence.”
The Vatican also expressed grave concerns of an ethical nature surrounding the autonomous and AI-driven lethal weapons, calling for their prohibition. “Wielding autonomous and lethal weapon systems that can autonomously recognize and engage with targets without the direct involvement of a human operator is a ‘cause for grave ethical concern,’” the document remarked. These weapons would pose an ‘existential risk’ by having the potential to act in ways that threaten entire regions, or humanity itself, Pope Francis himself warned.”
For Combating Deepfakes and Misinformation: Engendering Truth.
Dismantling the fabrication of reality aids in the preservation of truth. We must tackle the ever-growing concern of fake news and AI-manipulated videos. In support of this notion, the letter greatly calls attention to this matter. They say we must “avoid sharing words and images that virulently attack human dignity, promote hatred and intolerance, brutality, and war against human beings**.”
AI’s optimistic impacts: healthcare and beyond.
A nuanced framework bound with caution must be established in tandem with the Vatican acknowledging the ‘immense potential’ artificial intelligence has in education and health care subjects. Within healthcare specifically, the text remarks, “AI must not be allowed to replace the relational interactions between the doctor and the patient because it may worsen the loneliness often associated with sickness.” Adding, “It also risks reinforcing what has been described as ‘a medicine for the rich’ if the advantages are not universal,” AI could exacerbate uniformity in the future.
Faith and AI: The Search for Meaning
The sacrament of the Second Vatican Council offered perspectives concerning reason and divine revelation. Tiss intoned the encyclical Fide et Ratio: “So many people nowadays prefer artificial intelligence (AI), systems capable of mimicking human mental functions, and androids to the real, living human being. As the documents of the council still function, we must remind ourselves, however, that a human being, even in the Age of Technology, is created in the likeness and image of God.” Providing a warning, “As society drifts away from connection with the transcendent, some are tempted to turn to AI in search of meaning and fulfillment—longings that can only be truly satisfied in communion with God.” It is necessary to highlight the errors of presuming “to substitute God for an artifact of human making,” which the document defined as “idolatry.”
The guidance offered by Pope Francis is quite striking, especially when Emmanuele Ferstera claimed that people of faith would wish that technology be used to further civilization instead of destroying it, alluding to the serious problem in engineering. The concern of directly creating harms through, for example, weaponry technology is not only a philosophical consideration a humanist would think of.
