POLITICO Tech The Vatican’s AI battle
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Jul 17, 2025 Father Paolo Benanti, a professor and AI advisor for the Vatican, shares his insights on the ethical concerns surrounding artificial intelligence. He discusses the Catholic Church's critical role in advocating for regulation as new technologies evolve. The conversation highlights the historical engagement of the Church with technological advancements, emphasizing AI's potential to serve the common good while warning against risks like algorithmic bias. Benanti argues for the need for accountability and collaborative regulatory efforts to uphold democracy and ethical standards.
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Church's Historical Tech Perspective
- The Catholic Church's engagement with technology dates back to the Industrial Revolution's social transformations.
- The Church views AI as a new stage that challenges human dignity and societal equality through potential biases.
AI Threatens Social Equality
- AI risks creating new unequal layers in society through algorithmic bias that contradicts human equality.
- The Church fears AI could undermine hard-won social and human rights progress.
AI as a Religious Tool
- AI can aid religious education by quickly analyzing large volumes of texts.
- However, AI should enhance, not replace human roles in core societal functions like judiciary and medicine.
