[ED] Welcome voice on moral AI - The Korea Times

A moral voice has emerged with force and authority, prompting people to consider what it means to be human, beyond seeing ourselves as cogs in the accelerating development of artificial intelligence (AI). Pope Leo, in his much-awaited first encyclical, called for external regulation of AI, which he said can disrupt people's social and professional roles while desensitizing people to remote warfare. Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, has been critical of the unbridled progress of AI since his election a year ago, categorizing it as one of the biggest challenges facing humanity.

Concerns have been growing over the possible consequences of AI dominance in all aspects of life, risking an "AI dystopia" if the technology is not regulated properly. It is now high time to deeply ponder the true meaning of the pope's admonition and double down on efforts to come up with a global consensus on how to utilize AI to protect human beings and ensure the concept of a "more moral AI."

In his first major document, Leo suggested that technology is not inherently antagonistic to humanity but called for alertness, as it is never neutral.

“Artificial intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death,″ the pope was reported by AP and other news outlets as saying during a special Vatican presentation of his encyclical titled "Magnifica humanitas" (Magnificent Humanity).

The pope was adamant in his opposition to the concentration of power and data in the hands of a few people in the private sector and strongly called for external regulation.

"It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required," Leo wrote. "A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few."

The pope also spoke fiercely of the dignity of human labor, as he called for the protection of workers who stand vulnerable to exploitation.

He further stressed the need to protect children and urged education authorities to help students "engage positively" with new technologies.

Turning to governments, Leo appealed for AI regulation and responsible decision-making regarding weapons use. The pope's stance conflicts with the Donald Trump administration's policy toward AI, which focuses on deregulation in a bid to maintain the U.S. tech lead in its competition with China.

But most importantly, the pope’s words are an ardent appeal to protect humanity and its dignity amid a major transformation. protect humanity and its dignity amid a major transformation. That he was joined by the co-founder of Anthropic in an effort to engage with AI proponents has prompted some controversy. However, the open channel of dialogue between thinkers such as the pope and the corporate drivers of AI growth should be noted.

The AI industry is a priority for the Lee Jae Myung administration. In fact, the president has set a goal to elevate Korea as one of the top three AI powerhouses during his term, which ends in 2030. To that end, Korea has passed the AI Basic Act, which stresses the creation of an AI industrial ecosystem and infrastructure, while establishing balanced, rational regulation and centralized governance. As Korea rushes toward its goal, the pope's manifesto highlighting concerns for humanity should be considered while we are still in the early stages and without specific guidelines to data ownership and implementation.

Recent labor disputes at Samsung Electronics over performance bonuses and Hyundai Motor over its plan to deploy robot workers demonstrate how the issues the pope has raised place humanity at the core of his concerns.

His call, in essence, is for the establishment of strong legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a responsible political system. The Korean government could very well judge how effectively its AI policy is working, how companies are dealing with its AI growth and how individuals are engaging with new technologies by using these criteria.