The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is preparing documents on various topics, starting with one on artificial intelligence (AI), written in collaboration with the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, told the National Catholic Register on January 15 that the document on AI will be published “at the end of the month.”
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He also said that there are “other works underway” which, as he revealed, will be “about the value of monogamy, slavery in history and the various forms of slavery today, the place of women in the Church, some Mariological issues, etc”.
The news of the IA document comes after Pope Francis received Cardinal Fernández in a private audience on Tuesday along with Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and the secretaries of both dicasteries. It is likely that the document was signed during that hearing.
For almost a decade, the Vatican has actively participated in debates and initiatives regarding artificial intelligence, emphasizing ethical considerations and the importance of human dignity in technological advancement.
Artificial intelligence poses numerous risks and dangers that could significantly affect society, security and individual rights. For example, some people are already using it to spread false information and images; and can also perpetuate existing biases stemming from Internet use, leading to discriminatory outcomes. AI also threatens security when used in weapons systems, and overuse of the technology can diminish human creativity and essential cognitive abilities over time.
In 2016, the Vatican began hosting high-level discussions involving scientists, ethicists, and technology leaders to discuss the implications of AI to address the ethical dimensions of emerging technologies.
In February 2020, the Pontifical Academy for Life collaborated with technology giants such as IBM and Microsoft on a document called “Rome Call for AI Ethics”. The text, which promoted the “ethics of algorithms”, emphasized “transparency, inclusion, responsibility, impartiality, reliability, security and privacy” in AI technologies, with the aim of fostering collaboration both nationally and internationally to ensure that AI serves humanity ethically.
The Dicastery for Culture and Education has also spoken out on the issue, publishing in July 2023 an introduction to a 140-page ethics manual for the technology industry published by the Institute of Technology, Ethics and Culture at Santa Clara University, in California.
Last year, the Pope dedicated his Message for the World Day of Peace to the theme “Artificial intelligence and peace”. The text highlighted the urgency of extending ethical reflection to education and law to ensure that AI contributes positively to justice and peace.
More generally, the Vatican has stressed that AI should enhance human dignity rather than undermine it, and that technological advances should be guided by principles that prioritize human well-being over profits.
Some commentators have expressed concern about feasibility and applicability of the Vatican’s approach. However, the Vatican has taken steps to implement its own teaching on AI within the Vatican City State as its first decree regulating the use of artificial intelligence came into effect earlier this month.
The new law prohibits discriminatory uses of AI and establishes a special commission to oversee “experimentation” with the new technology in the Vatican. The new rules apply to the Vatican’s state institutions, but not to the entire Roman Curia.
Other expected documents
Regarding other documents about to be published, regarding slavery, Cardinal Fernández has used in the past the Bull Dum miscellaneous 1452 of Pope Nicholas V—who condoned slavery—to argue his position that the Church’s understanding of human dignity has developed over time and, more generally, that Church doctrine and magisterial teaching can evolve .
Any document on modern slavery is expected to cover a range of contemporary exploitative practices in which individuals are controlled by others for profit, often through coercion or deception. These include human trafficking, forced labor and child slavery.
Regarding monogamy, after the publication in 2023 of Begging for confidencewhich allowed non-liturgical blessings of same-sex couples, Cardinal Fernández reiterated his conviction that marriage is the “exclusive, stable and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to begetting children.” His comments followed reviews generalized to Begging for confidencewhich included concerns that it undermines Church teaching on marriage and sexual relations.
The issue of women in the Church is likely related to Pope Francis’ initiative to expand women’s leadership roles in the Church. As part of these efforts, Francisco has allowed, controversially, let women vote for the first time in a Synod of Bishops and has appointed the first female prefect of a Vatican department.
It is unclear what the Mariological questions will entail, but they will follow last year’s publication of a document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith titled “Standards for Proceeding in the Discernment of Suspected Supernatural Phenomena,” which introduced new guidelines on Marian apparitions. and his discernment.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in National Catholic Register.
By Edward Pent
Edward Pentin is a contributor to the National Catholic Register and a Vaticanist for EWTN News. He began reporting on the Pope and the Vatican on Vatican Radio before becoming a Rome correspondent for EWTN. He has also reported on the Holy See and the Catholic Church for several other publications, including Newsweek, Newsmax, Zenit, The Catholic Herald and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specializing in the Church and the Middle East.