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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.
The Vatican wants to protect children from AI dangers
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.Graphic Truth: From baby boom to baby gloom
Women are having fewer children in the US and Canada, where birth rates have been falling since the 1960s. In 2020, Canada’s fertility rate hit an all-time low of 1.4 children per woman. In the US, the national birth rate has fallen by 20% since 2007.
The baby bust is not unique to Canada and the US; the decline is unfolding across the OECD, as women gain increased access to contraception, higher education, and careers, all of which tend to lead to delayed family planning.
High inflation in recent years isn’t helping matters. After all, kids are expensive – from housing to education to health care – which may be enough to deter some couples.
But there is one OECD country where this isn’t the case: Israel. Israeli women have an average of 3.1 children, making Israel the only OECD country where the birth rate is above the replacement level. Experts attribute this to the influence of religion and tradition in the country, as well as social and economic policies that encourage work-family balance.