Artificial intelligence can bring benefits in the field of education and well -being of children, but also exposes them to dangers such as cyberbullying and online exploitation, of which it is necessary to protect them, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican.
The purple made this call during the conference “Risks and opportunities of AI for children: a common commitment to the safeguard of childhood”, which is held in the Pio VI casina.
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“Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve the safety, education and well -being of children. At the same time, it could also introduce serious threats, such as cyberbullying, violations of privacy, addiction to artificial intelligence and online exploitation,” said Vatican News on Friday.
Cardinal Parolin said it is not an easy task to prevent these risks. Therefore, it is required to seek “adequate responses” based on specific contexts that guarantee that these technologies are oriented “to the good of all.”
“Urgent and collective action and a worldwide collaboration is needed to ensure that this new technology serves, instead of undermining, the dignity and well -being of all children in the digital era,” he said.
In his speech, the purple recalled the speech of Pope Francis to G7 in June 2024, in which he affirmed that “the powerful technological progress makes artificial intelligence an exciting and tremendous tool at the same time, and requires a reflection at the height of the challenge it presents.”
In that sense, Cardinal Parolin added, “artificial intelligence systems are extraordinarily rapid in their growth and development and are about to deeply remodel our societies, and childhood in particular.”
Therefore, he reiterated that it is a joint responsibility to ensure that “this new technology is put at the service of the good and security of every person, especially the most vulnerable, preserving human dignity and social relations.”
The event is organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the World Childhood Foundation and the Institute of Anthropology (IADC) of the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication of the National University of San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Press, I have been sent to cover the trips of Pope Francis to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synod of Sinodality in the Vatican in 2023.