The Vatican is set to hold a conference on Mar. 21-22, 2025, titled "Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children" talking about the church's role in safeguarding kids.
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is organizing the conference with the help of the World Childhood Foundation and the Pontifical Gregorian University. The Vatican's main objectives are strengthening government regulations ethically and prioritizing children's safety, privacy, and dignity.
Vatican To Talk of AI's Risks on Children
Cardinal Peter Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and Professor Joachim von Braun, president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, will speak at the upcoming event.
According to Vatican News, other speakers include Professor Hans Zollner, the director of the IADC at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and Brittan Holmberg, the deputy secretary of the World Childhood Foundation.
In his opening speech, Cardinal Turkson highlighted the collective nature of the project and the Holy See's interest in new technologies. Other than discussions about new ethics of algorithms, Turkson said that it was necessary to talk about the responsibilities of individual states in ensuring that AI does not remain solely in "private hands."
Braun highlighted the various risks associated with new technologies, saying that they are increasingly becoming evidence to the scientific community. He noted that these include social media addiction, which has significantly affected children's brain development.
The president of the Pontifical Academy for Sciences said they are currently in a war on two fronts in trying to protect kids from abuse and mistreatment. This is to keep them safe from exploitation by a perpetrator in their environment at home, school, church, society, and online, USCCB reported.
Safeguarding Children from Abuse
A new frontier now is tackling AI and gender-based violence that have together in sophisticated ways at "at scale." The latter is where crime and its victims have rapidly increased and multiplied in recent times.
Braun noted that the church must now work with science-based knowledge regarding AI and make other efforts. Some of the risks that were highlighted include the use of AI to generate and distribute child sexual abuse materials.
The technology is also being used to groom children online, facilitate human trafficking, and infringe on a child's right to privacy and dignity with excessive monitoring. On the other hand, AI can also be used to promote the safety and dignity of children and expand their access and opportunities in health care and education, as per OSV News.
