Joachim von Braun, president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, speaks at the “Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children” event.
In a conference at the Vatican last week, Catholic leaders called for global action to protect children from the dangers of artificial intelligence.
“We are really currently in a war at two frontiers when it comes to protecting children — the old ugly child exploitation, one-on-one, is not overcome — and now we have the new AI, gender-based violence at scale and sophistication,” Joachim Von Braun, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, told the press on Thursday.
The conference, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, brought together Catholic officials as well as tech experts, world leaders, and child protection advocates. Attendees discussed AI’s protection to detect online threats and expand education but also risks for abuse such as deepfakes and algorithmic bias.
The Vatican under Pope Francis has been particularly interested in AI with the pontiff appointing an AI advisor in 2024, and it recently warned of “profound risks” of the technology in January.