ANDThe Pope this Friday became the first head of the Catholic Church to participate in the meeting of the seven richest democracies in the world with a speech on the challenges of artificial intelligence, in which he called for a ban on autonomous weapons.
According to the criteria of
Francis, 87, arrived at noon by helicopter from the Vatican to Borgo Egnaza, a luxury resort in the Apulia region of southern Italy, where the G7 summit (Germany, Canada, United States, France) is being held. , Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom).
Pope Francisco.
Photo:
Before Joe Biden or Emmanuel Macron but also in the presence of the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Argentine president, Javier Milei, invited by Italy despite not being members of the group, Francis called AI a “fascinating and tremendous instrument.”
“In a drama like that of armed conflicts, it is urgent to rethink the development and use of devices such as so-called lethal autonomous weapons to prohibit their use,” he stated.
“No machine should ever choose to end the life of a human being,” said the pontiff.
No machine should ever choose to end the life of a human being.
Experts consider AI to be the third great revolution in the field of military equipment, after the invention of gunpowder and the atomic bomb, and fear that all types of weapons, from robots to drones, could become autonomous systems, governed by algorithms.
Among other risks, Francisco cited “the greatest inequality between advanced nations and developing nations, between dominant social classes and oppressed social classes” and asked for regulation.
“It is precisely here where political action is urgent,” he said.
The Holy See has surrounded itself with high-level experts in AI to study its impact and promotes “algor-ethics” (the ethics of algorithms), a term invented by the pope himself.
Before his intervention, Francisco greeted, sitting in a wheelchair, the numerous leaders gathered in a large room to listen to him, in some cases with an effusive hug, as in the case of Lula and Milei.
Argentine President Javier Milei shakes hands with Pope Francis (l), while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (behind) watches, on the sidelines of a work session on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Energy and Africa -Mediterranean in the Borgo Egnazia complex during the G7 Summit.
Photo:
Tensions with China
After a first day on Thursday dominated by the war in Ukraine, the G7 launched harsh criticism of China this Friday and asked it to stop sending weapons components to Russia and comply with international rules on trade.
China has been one of the focuses of discussions at the G7amid sour trade relations between Beijing and the West and concerns that its equipment sales to Moscow are fueling Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We call on China to stop transferring … weapons components and equipment that feed the Russian defense sector,” says the draft summit declaration, which must be officially approved later.
We ask China to stop transferring (…) weapons components and equipment that feed the Russian defense sector
The G7 also condemned “dangerous” Chinese incursions into the disputed South China Sea, where fear of a military escalation between China and its neighbors increases.
Trade tensions with China are on the rise and this week the EU announced plans to impose new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
China is accused of subsidizing products such as solar panels and electric vehicles with public money which are sold much cheaper and are considered unfair competition in a booming sector.
For its part, Beijing denounces what it considers “blatant protectionist behavior” and does not rule out filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The 50th G7 Summit brings together the leaders of the Group of Seven Member States at the Borgo Egnazia complex.
Photo:
Defense of southern countries
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni who chairs the G7 this year, emphasized on Friday the idea that Southern countries must participate in decisions that affect the world and multiplied the invitations to leaders outside the G7, such as India or Türkiye, in addition to Argentina and Brazil.
“We will never accept the West’s narrative against the rest,” he said.
Meloni showed very good harmony with Milei. “You have made an incredible trip to be here,” she told him in Spanish as she greeted him effusively.
Argentine President Javier Milei is received by the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, upon his arrival at the Borgo Egnazia complex for the G7 Summit organized by Italy in the Apulia region.
Photo:
The Argentine president had planned, among other things, a meeting with Kristalina Georgieva, the director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The IMF approved on Thursday the immediate disbursement of some 800 million dollars to Argentina, good news for his government, but he warned that he still must “improve the quality of the fiscal adjustment.”
#machine #choose #life #Pope #Francis #asks #summit #ban #weapons #controlled #artificial #intelligence