• QUESTION:
  The historic visit of Pope Francis at the recent G7 meet was a matter of global attraction. What are the core ideas of his message?
  Anto John

ANSWER: Saji Mathew Kanayankal CST

There was much attention on the historic participation of Pope Francis in the G7 meet held in Apulia, Italy on13-15 June 2014. As the first Pope to attend the G7, he was warmly welcomed by its members. In the meeting, apart from drawing attention to the possibilities of AI, he warned the G7 members about the risks and hazards of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and urged them to recognise their power to make decision on its use. According to Pope Francis, “its use will increasingly influence the way we live, our social relationships and even the way we conceive of our identity as human beings.” In his message, Pope Francis brought out promises and the threats of AI, the ‘techno-human condition’, human vs algorithmic decision-making, and the significance of algor-ethics. AI represents an “epochal transformation” for humanity which demands a vigilant scrutinization to preserve human life and dignity. We should never allow AI to take the upper hand over humanity.

• Exciting but Terrifying

AI is ‘neither objective nor neutral’ says Pope Francis. While it offers a lot of promises, we should be aware of the various threats it foreshadows. Above all else, AI is ‘a tool’- “an exciting and fearsome tool at the same time.” The birth of AI represents “a true cognitive-industrial revolution” that leads to “complex epochal transformations.” On the one hand, it generates excitement for the possibilities it offers, like that of creating a new social system, possible democratisation, access to knowledge, acceleration of scientific research and so on. On the other hand, it gives rise to fear for the consequences it foreshadows.  As Pope rightly pointed out, the relationship of humans with the environment has always been mediated by the tools produced by them like that of sharpened flint stones and knives, which are used for both to cut hides for clothing and to kill each other. The same thing could be said on the different phases of technologies like the energy produced by the fusion of atoms. It is also applicable to AI, for this can be used for human advancement as well as destruction. When the system is advanced and more complicated, its impact will also be more complicated.

While reflecting on the destructive dimension of these tools, we should not be too pessimistic. It is true that science and technology are brilliant products of the creative potential of human beings and we have the responsibility to its advantages and creative potentials. Using the biblical passage, that God bestowed his Spirit upon human beings so that they might have ‘skill and understanding and knowledge in every craft’ (Ex 35:31), the Pope invites us to reflect on the creative meaning of AI. According to him, AI arises precisely from the use of this God-given creative potential. This openness is the root of our “techno-human condition” and the root of our openness to others and to God, as well as the root of our artistic and intellectual creativity. If we use it properly, it is beneficial for accessing knowledge and scientific research, which can contribute to medicine, workforce, communications, education and politics.

“Though AI can be seen as a magnificent tool
available for accessing knowledge,
which even allows for self-learning and
self-tutoring in a myriad of fields,
it reduces human capacity for reflection
and decision-making.”

However, the limitations and dangers of AI are to be considered very seriously. Its impact can be seen from various activities of everyday life to catastrophic events that may annihilate the entire creation. The primary impact of the use of AI is foreseen in the possible breach of justice.  There exists an unjust system in local, national and the international spheres and AI “could bring greater injustice between advanced and developing nations or between dominant and oppressed social classes raising the dangerous possibility that a ‘throwaway culture’ be preferred to a ‘culture of encounter’.”

Second, though AI can be seen as a magnificent tool available for accessing knowledge, which even allows for self-learning and self-tutoring in a myriad of fields, it reduces human capacity for reflection and decision-making. For example, the use of AI in the field of education reduces the reasoning capacity as well as memory of students. This risks “undermining the educational process itself.” Education should offer the chance for “authentic reflection”, but instead “runs the risk of being reduced to a repetition of notions, which will increasingly be evaluated as unobjectionable, simply because of their constant repetition.”

Third is its limitation for decision-making. The AI does not own thinking capacity and thus it is unable to analyse a situation properly. As a tool, it has no capacity in decision-making. In the words of Pope Francis, “strictly speaking, so-called generative artificial intelligence is not really generative”- it does not “develop new analyses or concepts” but rather “repeats those that it finds, giving them an appealing form.” “Whether sophisticated or not, the quality of the answers that artificial intelligence programs provide ultimately depends on the data they use and how they are structured.” Essentially it is designed for problem solving and it works by means of a logical chaining of algebraic operations, carried out on categories of data. He points out the difference between human and algorithmic decision-making. AI is capable of making “algorithmic choices” – that is, “technical” choices “among several possibilities based either on well-defined criteria or on statistical inferences.” This method of calculation – the so-called “algorithm” – is neither objective nor neutral. It can only examine realities formalised in numerical terms. To clarify it, Pope uses the example of the algorithms designed to help judges in deciding whether to grant home confinement to prisoners. These programmes make a choice based on data such as the type of offence, behaviour in prison, psychological assessment, and the prisoner’s ethnic origin, educational attainment, and credit rating. All these are predetermined categories and AI makes decisions based on the available data it receives. It is not able to understand the real human situation, his or her aptitudes, emotions and behaviours if the data is not given. They learn from the values, biases, and assumptions of their creators and users. This can lead to unintended or harmful consequences for individuals, marginalized groups, and society at large. They can also affect people’s privacy, security, and autonomy. But most frightening, algorithms can learn to manipulate people’s behaviour, preferences, and opinions. Moreover, “algorithms designed to solve highly complex problems are so sophisticated that it is difficult for programmers themselves to understand exactly how they arrive at their results.”

The AI cannot understand the developing and real dimensions of a human being. “Those who use it, there is often an irresistible temptation to draw general, or even anthropological, deductions from the specific solutions it offers.” On the other hand, Human beings have the capacity to choose and make decisions. Therefore, the Pope emphasised that “faced with the marvels of machines, which seem to know how to choose independently, we should be very clear that decision-making, even when we are confronted with its sometimes dramatic and urgent aspects, must always be left to the human person.”

Finally, the most dangerous impact of AI is its possibility of the use of bioweapons. If AI is autonomous in using lethal weapons, that would be the annihilation of the entire human community. In this context, Pope insisted on the ban of lethal weapons by global governments, saying it should never be left to machines to decide whether or not to kill a person. “Allow me to insist, 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. This starts from an effective and concrete commitment to introduce ever greater and proper human control. No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being,” says the Pope.

• Responsible Use of AI

As with any other tool, AI is a double-edged weapon and the benefits or harm of it depends on the way we use it. AI remains human-centric so that decisions about when to use weapons depend on the decisions of humans, not machines. However, as Pope Francis says, “due to its radical freedom, humanity has not infrequently corrupted the purposes of its being, turning into an enemy of itself and of the planet.” The same fate may fall on technological tools. It is our primary responsibility to use it with responsibility and the use of any technology should be directed to good.  “Only if their true purpose of serving humanity is ensured, will such tools reveal not only the unique grandeur and dignity of men and women, but also the command they have received to “till and keep” (Gen 2:15) the planet and all its inhabitants. To speak of technology is to speak of what it means to be human and thus of our singular status as beings who possess both freedom and responsibility.”

First, when using AI, we should be diligent in maintaining fundamental human rights, that promote peace, justice and the common good. It is our moral duty to be vigilant against disinformation, discrimination and distortion. Pope Francis reminds us about a ‘true cognitive-industrial revolution’ that may lead to ‘a new social system characterised by complex epochal transformations.’ In a time, where AI programs examine human beings and their actions, the value and dignity of human beings are at risk. Once we are aware of it, we can take adequate measures to prevent possible dangers out of it.

In view of the responsible use of AI, Pope invited the international community to practice “algor-ethics” which is to be developed in the context of global pluralism and diversities. Fundamentally, algor-ethics aligns AI systems with human values and societal norms, fostering accountability, fairness, and transparency. Algorithms are sets of rules or instructions that tell a computer how to perform a specific task, they learn from the values, biases, and assumptions of their creators and users. This can lead to unintended or harmful consequences for individuals, marginalized groups, and society at large. Therefore, the ethical strategy is very important in the use of AI. Since today it is increasingly difficult to find agreement on the major issues concerning social life, we should be very sensitive to the global realities and multiple hierarchies in the scales of values. In this situation, Pope requests the world community to find shared principles with which to address and resolve dilemmas or conflicts regarding how to live. It should be supported by cultures, religions, different international organizations and global summits, government policies and corporate boards. “If we struggle to define a single set of global values,” the Pope suggests, we can at least “find shared principles with which to address and resolve dilemmas or conflicts regarding how to live.” The goal, Pope Francis concluded, is not “stifling human creativity and its ideals of progress” but rather “directing that energy along new channels.” In order to practise such an ethics, what we need is a healthy politics. Thus, he concludes his message with the incorporation of good politics with algor-ethics.