Pope calls for ban on 'lethal autonomous weapons' at G7 | Technology News

Pope Francis spoke about the moral dilemmas surrounding artificial intelligence in warfare, saying “no machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being.”

Pope Francis called for a ban on “lethal autonomous weapons” in a speech at the G7 leaders' summit in Italy on the perils of artificial intelligence (AI).

On Friday, the pontiff was the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to attend a meeting of the Group of Seven.

“In light of the tragedy of armed conflict, there is an urgent need to reconsider the development and use of devices such as so-called “lethal autonomous weapons” and ultimately ban their use,” said the pope.

“It starts with an effective and concrete commitment to ever greater and appropriate human control. No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being.

The G7 – which brings together Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – said on Friday that AI “can play a crucial role in promoting progress and the development of our societies.

“We recognize the impact of AI on the military domain and the need for a framework for responsible development and use,” the leaders said in a draft statement.

Pope Francis, 87, who has suffered mobility problems in recent years, arrived in Puglia by helicopter and was greeted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

He told leaders gathered in the southern Italian region: “Artificial intelligence [is] both an exciting and formidable tool. We would condemn humanity to a hopeless future if we removed people's ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives, condemning them to depend on the choices of machines. »

The Argentine pontiff was speaking after a series of bilateral meetings with leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In a statement on his social media, Zelenskyy said he and Pope Francis spoke about the upcoming Ukraine summit on Saturday and Sunday.

“We discussed the consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine, Russian aerial terrorism and the difficult situation in the energy sector… as well as expectations from the World Peace Summit,” said Zelensky.