Devices with facial recognition are increasing everywhere around the world, whether on our smartphones, in airports, in certain buildings or more generally in the streets. A subject that raises questions, especially in terms of respect for privacy. A debate in which Pope Francis took part in late February - through a press release -, indicating that he wanted this form of technology to be better regulated.
The Vatican has announced that it is partnering with tech behemoths like Microsoft and IBM to promote the ethical use of artificial intelligence. In his press release "Call for ethical AI", the Pope warns against the excesses to which artificial intelligence could lead without adequate regulation. The representative of the Catholic Church urges technology companies to "widen the areas of freedom that could be threatened by algorithmic conditioning".
Pope Francis also addressed the risk that artificial intelligence could be used to extract personal data without the knowledge of individuals, for commercial or political purposes.
An algor-ethical vision
"New forms of regulation must be encouraged to promote transparency and respect for ethical principles, in particular for advanced technologies that pose a higher risk of impact on human rights, such as facial recognition," says the Pope's document.
To achieve this, the Vatican advocates the development of an "algor-ethical vision, that is to say an approach to ethics by design". In other words, the Catholic Church promotes an ethical use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition.
This ethical use would go through the transparency of the means put in place and the treatment reserved for the data collected, by the inclusion of all, everyone's responsibility, impartiality, reliability, security and confidentiality of the information collected. Principles which are not necessarily followed by all.
For some political leaders, facial recognition is a great way to control its population. Elsewhere, facial recognition is used in the context of police investigations which, in a way, endanger everyone's privacy. It was also revealed that some large companies were using AI to examine the profile of certain candidates, said Reuters. Cases where wrong results can have serious consequences.
AI, a source of progress
For the seat of the Catholic Church, AI represents a significant source of progress which must be exploited with reason. “AI-based technologies should never be used to exploit people in any way, especially the most vulnerable. Rather, AI should be used to help people develop their capabilities and to support the planet, "said the Vatican.
Beyond a promotion for the ethical development of AI, the partnership between Microsoft and IBM will focus on the development of technologies to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of patients with brain tumors.
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