Pope warns Davos summit that AI could worsen ‘crisis of truth’
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Francis calls for close oversight of technology that raises ‘critical concerns’ about humanity’s future. Business live – latest updates. Pope Francis has warned global leaders in Davos that artificial intelligence raises “critical concerns” about humanity’s future and it could exacerbate a growing “crisis of truth”.
![[An AI-generated deepfake image of Pope Francis wearing a puffer jacket.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e1d2b656314e72176e83314330c57eca11249a5b/0_16_1146_688/master/1146.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Francis said governments and businesses must exercise “due diligence and vigilance” to navigate the complexities of AI. In a written address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland on Thursday, the pope said AI could fuel the “growing crisis of truth in the public forum”, as its output was almost indistinguishable from those of humans.
“This technology is designed to learn and make certain choices autonomously, adapting to new situations and providing answers not foreseen by its programmers, thus raising fundamental questions about ethical responsibility, human safety, and the broader implications of these developments for society,” he said in a statement read to Davos delegates by Cardinal Peter Turkson, a Vatican official.
The pope has first-hand experience of artificial intelligence’s ability to distort the truth – he is a popular subject in AI-generated deepfake images, including one of him embracing the singer Madonna and a second in a Balenciaga puffer jacket. “Unlike many other human inventions, AI is trained on the results of human creativity, which enables it to generate new artefacts with a skill level and speed that often rival or surpasses human capabilities, raising critical concerns about its impact on humanity’s role in the world,” the pope said.
