Pope Francis on Wednesday stressed the importance of keeping decision-making in human hands rather than artificial intelligence, telling leaders at an AI ethics conference in Hiroshima to "protect human dignity in this new era of machines."
Francis also called for a ban on lethal autonomous weapon systems, stating that "no machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being."
"It is crucial that, united as brothers and sisters, we remind the world that in light of the tragedy that is armed conflict, it is urgent to reconsider the development and use of devices like the so-called 'lethal autonomous weapons' and ultimately ban their use," Francis said, renewing a call he made at the G7 summit in Italy in June.
"This starts from an effective and concrete commitment to introduce ever greater and proper human control."
Autonomous weapon systems are any weapons that select and apply force to targets without human intervention.
Leaders from Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, the United Nations, and representatives from all major world religions attended the conference.
Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith said Hiroshima, the site where the U.S. detonated an atomic bomb in 1945 during World War II, has served as "a compelling backdrop to help ensure a technology created by humanity serves all of humanity and our common home."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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