Pope Francis to attend AI session at G7 summit in Italy

Pope Francis will attend a working session on artificial intelligence at this year's Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit that is set to take place in the month of June, said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday (Apr 26). 

The G7 leaders will hold discussions on the challenges posed by AI and ways to overcome the same. 

"This is the first time in history that a pontiff will participate in the work of a G7," Meloni said in a video message. 

She further said that Francis would join the "outreach session", dedicated to AI, for guest participants at the Group of Seven industrialised nations meeting in Puglia.

Calling artificial intelligence one of "the greatest anthropological challenges of our time", she said that it was "crucial to harness the best ethical and intellectual reflections being developed in this field".

She then expressed confidence that the pontiff's presence would "make a decisive contribution to defining a regulatory, ethical and cultural framework for artificial intelligence", appreciating the Vatican's research into the "practical application of the concept of algorethics, i.e. giving ethics to algorithms".

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"I am convinced that the presence of His Holiness will give a decisive contribution to drawing up an ethical and cultural regulatory framework to Artificial Intelligence," Meloni said.

Italy, which assumed the Presidency of the G7 in January 2024, okayed a bill earlier this week to lay down ground rules for the use of AI. 

"(It is) a technology that can generate great opportunities, but also brings enormous risks, as well as inevitably affecting global balances," Meloni said on Friday.

"Our commitment is to develop governance mechanisms to ensure that artificial intelligence is both human-centred and human-controlled," she added.

Earlier this year, the pope had cautioned against the "perverse" threats posed by AI calling for a global treaty to ensure the technology is not being misused.

He published a six-page message where he detailed all the dangers of this technology including disinformation and interference in elections.

The Group of Seven, also known as G7, brings together Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.  

(With inputs from agencies)