Catholic universities should be involved in the development of Artificial Intelligence, says cardinal

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Catholic universities should not recoil from the frightening risks of artificial intelligence but actively participate in its ethical development, the head of the Office of Culture and Education said.

Catholic universities have a "delicate responsibility" in the "new historical era" that AI represents, said Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the dicastery: "Universities, and even more so universities that share the mission of the Church, stand at the crossroads of cultural, scientific and social opportunities."

Quoting Pope Francis, he said that "simply teaching the proper use of new technologies will not be enough" and that "it is not enough to simply trust the moral sense of researchers and developers of devices and algorithms," pointing to the need to develop "algo-ethics."

The cardinal spoke July 13 at the opening of a conference in Milan entitled "The Future of Catholic Universities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," organized by the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities, an international network of leading Catholic research universities.

"Catholic universities must dialog with the new, work tirelessly on current issues and problems, and establish themselves as the great laboratories of the future," he said, as they are "expected to be not only active guardians of the noble memory of bygone days, but also probes and cradles of tomorrow."

Given the risks associated with the widespread and unregulated use of artificial intelligence, Cardinal Tolentino's office is seeking to gather technology industry leaders at the Vatican to discuss the ethical aspects of AI development. In January, Pope Francis met with AI pioneers from companies such as Microsoft and IBM and urged them to ensure that the use of AI does not lead to the spread of discriminatory practices.

Cardinal Tolentino recalled the Pope's conviction that "only truly inclusive forms of dialog can allow us to wisely determine how to put artificial intelligence and digital technologies at the service of the human family."

According to Statista, corporate money going into AI has already grown from $12.75 billion to $92 billion between 2015-22.

According to the cardinal, the next "great investment" in AI should be "human": "An investment in the formation of each member of the human family so that they can develop their cognitive, creative, spiritual and ethical potential and thereby make a qualified contribution to the common good."

"The main question behind artificial intelligence remains anthropological. The challenges posed to education cannot be other than those posed to the human person today," the cardinal said.

Catholic universities must therefore remember that "they do not live for themselves," he said, "rather, they develop to the extent that they become capable of listening, capable of co-creating collaborative practices and of generative encounters between people and cultures."

"It requires not only creative intelligence, but a discernment that cannot be partisan, not improvised, but firmly grounded in its values," he said.

However, Cardinal Tolentino urged Catholic education leaders "not to be discouraged by the difficulties of this historical period and to face it rather enlightened by the confidence that the Christian promise radiates."

"Those who live in the university world cannot afford not to have hope. Hope is our mission," the cardinal said. "It is not superficial optimism, but the ability to take the right risks."