- The Vatican announced it is collaborating with Microsoft and IBM to promote the ethical development of AI and the regulation of facial recognition
The Vatican announced it is collaborating with Microsoft and IBM for promoting the ethical development of artificial intelligence and the regulation of facial recognition, according to Reuters. The three organizations pointed out that artificial intelligence should respect privacy and work without bias while also considering human rights.
Pope Francis has expressed concerns about the spread of artificial intelligence technologies. And The Vatican showed its support in a speech read on behalf of Pope Francis at an event attended by Microsoft president Brad Smith and IBM Executive Vice President John Kelly.
“This asymmetry, by which a select few know everything about us while we know nothing about them, dulls critical thought and the conscious exercise of freedom,” said the letter, which was written on behalf Pope Francis. “Inequalities expand enormously; knowledge and wealth accumulate in a few hands with grave risks for democratic societies.”
One of the initiatives IBM is focused on is having doctors being in the loop when artificial intelligence technology is used to make healthcare recommendations. This initiative has been implemented in a deal with Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome. And this partnership will focus on developing technologies for speeding up diagnoses and treatments of brain tumor patients.
Microsoft and IBM have both turned down business deals when they felt uncomfortable about how its technology would be used.
