Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we approach the end of this year and anticipate the arrival of 2024, we celebrate a significant day, January 1st, recognised as the World Day of Peace. Instituted by His Holiness Pope Paul VI in 1968, this day extends an invitation to individuals, communities, and nations to engage in reflection on the importance of peace. It serves as a call to action, urging us to commit to endeavours that contribute to the overall well-being of humanity.
This year, His Holiness Pope Francis, in his message for the 57th World Day of Peace, titled “Artificial Intelligence and Peace,” addresses the intersection of technological progress, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), and examines the question of the progress of science and technology as a path to peace. Acknowledging their positive contributions to society, Pope Francis also emphasises the ethical challenges and potential risks associated with the rapid advancement of AI, urging us to tread carefully and responsibly. Here are some excerpts from the message of His Holiness:
“Human intelligence is an expression of the dignity with which we have been endowed by the Creator, who made us in his own image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26), and enabled us to respond consciously and freely to his love. In a particular way, science and technology manifest this fundamentally relational quality of human intelligence; they are brilliant products of its creative potential.
… The remarkable advances in new information technologies, particularly in the digital sphere, thus offer exciting opportunities and grave risks, with serious implications for the pursuit of justice and harmony among peoples. Any number of urgent questions need to be asked. What will be the consequences, in the medium and long term, of these new digital technologies? And what impact will they have on individual lives and on societies, on international stability and peace?”
The Pope calls for a cross-disciplinary dialogue, ethical development of algorithms (algo-ethics), and the inclusion of diverse voices in decision-making processes. By reminding us that the measure of true humanity lies in how we treat the least among us, he concludes with a hopeful vision that AI development may contribute to human fraternity and world peace: “It is my prayer at the start of the New Year that the rapid development of forms of artificial intelligence will not increase cases of inequality and injustice all too present in today’s world, but will help put an end to wars and conflicts, and alleviate many forms of suffering that afflict our human family…”
May the World Day of Peace inspire each of us to contribute to the creation of a more just and peaceful world as we step into the days of the coming year filled with hope.
I wish you a safe, blessed, and Happy New Year!
*The full message is available on the Vatican website: https://www.vatican.va/