Pope Francis Warns Potential Dangers Of Artificial Intelligence

Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons/Yakov Fedorov)

JAKARTA - World Catholic Church leader Pope Francis on Tuesday called for a global reflection, of the potential danger of artificial intelligence (AI), recording "disruptive possibilities and ambivalent effects" of the new technology.

Pope Francis, 86, once said he did not know how to use computers, issued the warning in a message for the upcoming World Peace Day of the Catholic Church, which falls on New Year's Day.

The Vatican released the message long ago, as usual.

The Pope "warns of the need to be vigilant and work, so that the logic of violence and discrimination is not rooted in the production and use of such devices, at the expense of those most fragile and abandoned," the message reads.

"The urgent need to direct the concept and use of artificial intelligence in a responsible way, so that it can serve humanity and the protection of our common home, requires ethical reflections to be extended to education and law," Pope Francis said.

In 2015, Pope Francis acknowledged there was a "disaster" with technology, but he also referred to the internet, social network and text messages as "God's Union", as long as they were used wisely.

In addition, the Vatican joined technology giants Microsoft and IBM in 2020, to promote ethical AI development and call for disruptive technology regulations such as facial recognition.